On this page I will tell you a little bit about the enemies of a cobra.

The cobra only has one natural enemy which is the mongoose. The mongoose is its only enemy because it is the only animal fast enough to strike at its neck without being bitten. Mongooses are widely distributed in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and southern Europe.

There are more than thirty species, ranging from one to four feet in length. Mongooses mostly feed on insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, snakes, chickens, and rodents. However, they will also eat eggs.

Some species, such as the Indian mongoose, are popularly used to fight and kill venomous snakes, even king cobras. They are able to do this because of their agility and cunning, and their thick coat, but typically avoid the cobra and have no particular affinity for consuming their meat.

 Some species of mongoose can be easily domesticated, are fairly intelligent, and can be taught simple tricks, so they are often kept as pets to protect homes from vermin. 

They can be very destructive. When imported into the West Indies for the purpose of killing rats and snakes, they destroyed most of the small, ground-based fauna. For this reason, it is illegal to import most species of mongoose into the United States, Australia and other countries. Mongooses were introduced to Hawaii in 1883, and have had an impact on native species.

                                                        

Last modified: 02/13/08