page_title: Elapidae
section_title: Dentition
hierarchical_section_title: Elapidae / Description / Dentition
caption_attribution_description: English: King cobra skull, lateral view, showing fangs Deutsch: Schädel einer Köngiskobra
context_page_description: Elapidae is a family of venomous snakes characterized by hollow, permanently erect, relatively short fangs in the front of the mouth that channel venom into their prey. Elapids are endemic to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, with terrestrial forms in Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Americas alongside marine forms in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Members of the family have a wide range of sizes, from the 18 cm white-lipped snake to the 5.85 m king cobra. Most species have neurotoxins in their venom, while some may contain other toxic components in various proportions. The family includes 56 genera with some 360 species and some 170 subspecies.
context_section_description: All elapids have a pair of proteroglyphous fangs to inject venom from glands located towards the rear of the upper jaw. The fangs, which are enlarged and hollow, are the first two teeth on each maxillary bone. Usually only one fang is in place on each side at any time. The maxilla is intermediate in both length and mobility between typical colubrids (long, less mobile) and viperids (very short, highly mobile). When the mouth is closed, the fangs fit into grooved slots in the buccal floor and usually below the front edge of the eye and are angled backwards; some elapids (Acanthophis, taipan, mamba, and king cobra) have long fangs on quite mobile maxillae and can make fast strikes. A few species are capable of spraying their venom from forward-facing holes in their fangs for defense, as exemplified by spitting cobras. Venom may cause intense pain, if not blindness, upon contact with eyes.
caption: The lateral view of a king cobra's skull showing fangs
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