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Has anybody ever seen or heard of this behaviour by a cobra?
I have over the last few days had 3 reports of cobras suckling on a domestic cow in the feild. This was not in any of the sanparks.

The person told me that on disturbing the cow, the snake was still holding on to the udder of the cow. It is reported that the cow suffers no discomfort an in actual fact will go back to the same site to allow the cobra to suckle on her.
Has anyone ever seen this or a cobra suckling on a buck or any other animal?

The only problem with this myth is that snakes do not have the sort of tung necessary for suckling. If you have ever milked a cow you would know that the type of suction needed would never be achieved by a cylindrical shaped forked tung.

Why would this be a myth if a living person can verify this phenomonon. Would it not be possible to suckle using a swallowing action. Some animals when lactating tend to drip milk from the udder and the slightest touch could allow the animal to " drop" its milk therefore allowing the milk to run freely. If an animals udder is extreemly full the milk will also run freely.

This could be why the lactating animal might look for relief an allow a snake to suckle.

This myth is almost as old as cobras themselfs
The living person who can verify this phenomonon is not telling the truth

How would it hold on... with its fangs they cannot suck in this fassion.. look when a snake drins water and you know why I am saying this
The Cow will get an infection or may even stand a chance of envenomation.
I have send this myth to Semaka (50/50) 2 years ago and it was settled there- so I am not even going to say anymore

To do anything beyond instinct, there needs to be cortical development of the brain, in other words, a little bit of grey matter.
The reptilian brain is very primitive and incapable of making links between a behaviour and a consequence..

mind you, I know a few mammals on 2 legs who don't manage that

This is gotta to be the funniest topic of this year so far.

Wiltuinman

It is not funny Wiltuinman, espesially when you the only living person who have ever witnessed it

Imagine..... nah never mind

@ron brameld
Was this in the Meyerton area??
You won't find any COBRAS there in any case

Hey people........ lets just ease up a little bit! Some of us, who are involved with nature, know this is a myth. BUT there are people out there who just don't know any better!

I have been involved in arguments about the behaviour of boomslangs where the person was convinced that a boomslangs is one of Africa's most aggresive species. When they were growing up the local woman used to carry the putu on their heads to prevent the boomslang from biting them when they walked underneath the tree in which the snake was lying. I have talked to enough people in the know who say that a boomslang is way to passive to attack unprovoced!

All I'm saying is that I have had to fight for, and lose, to many snakes that have been killed by ignorance to not use my chances to educate others when they arise!

Yip, I can write pages and pages about this... and it doesn't end with our snakes.....

Coming back to your boomslang, yes they are placid so much that it was only discoverd many years after they were discribed that they are actually venomous... (drop for drop the most venomous in SA)

But I still agree with Wiltuinman :lol:

On requesting information from 12351 forum members I find it funny the I receive ridiclule and limited information.

I'm only one of 12353 (by now) forum members, but to be honest I have not perceived any of the posts in this thread to be offensive and/or ridiculing.
As for the info you claim you requested: You brought up an issue that is - and for a long time has been known as - a myth. The replies you received were along the same lines. And a whole lot of info was included along the way...

Relax boet. And enjoy the forums!

Hi Ron I tried to answer without any redicule - sorry if you saw it that way.

The myth probably developed because in India familys put saucers of milk out for cobras to drink thereby the part about cobras drinking milk - it is a short step from saucers of milk to drinking straight from a cows udder in the human mind

,
Before asking the question about this myth I had already searched the web for information. snakes are alergic to milk as it causes diahrea. The old practice in India of forcing the snakes to drink milk in actual fact causes them to sufficate and die(cruel) as the milk runs into their lungs. This can also rupture their lungs
This particular practice has some relligeous conotation and has been practiced for many centuaries. When hearing that someone had actually seen a snake hanging from a cows udder ,I could not believe this myself, and placed the topic on the forum to see what the reaction would be.
The physical anatomy of a snake would never allow any sucking action.

Sorry I let a jackal out amoungst the pheasants.