Elapidae
| Elapidae | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Egyptian cobra, Naja haje | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Superfamily: | Colubroidea |
| Family: |
Elapidae F. Boie, 1827 |
| Subfamilies | |
Elapinae
Hydrophiinae
Laticaudinae
The Elapidae (Greek ἔλλοψ éllops, "sea-fish") are a family of venomous snakes found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, terrestrially in Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, and South America, and aquatically in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Elapid snakes exhibit a wide range of sizes, from 18-cm species of Drysdalia to the 5.6-m king cobra. All elapids are characterized by hollow, fixed fangs through which they inject venom. Currently, 325 species in 61 genera are recognized; 58 genera and 251 species are in the Old World, against a minor diversity of three genera and 74 species in the New World.
All elapids have a pair of proteroglyphous fangs used to inject venom from glands located towards the rear of the upper jaws. In outward appearance, terrestrial elapids look similar to the Colubridae: almost all have long and slender bodies with smooth scales, a head covered with large shields and not always distinct from the neck, and eyes with round pupils. In addition, their behavior is usually quite active, and most are oviparous. Exceptions to all these generalizations occur: e.g. the death adders (Acanthophis) include short and fat, rough-scaled, very broad-headed, cat-eyed, live-bearing, sluggish ambush predators with partly fragmented head shields.
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Wikipedia