Cobras

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**Cobras** are snakes that appear in *The Lion Guard* universe. They live in the Pride Lands, the Outlands and the Tree of Life.

## Appearance

### In the Real World

Egyptian cobras are relatively slender-bodied snakes. They have red or brown scales. Most cobra species are capable of attaining lengths of 1.84 m (6.0 ft). Maximum lengths for some of the larger species of cobras are around 3.1 m (10 ft), with the forest cobra arguably being the longest species of true cobra.  All have a characteristic ability to raise the front quarters of their bodies off the ground and flatten their necks to appear larger to a potential predator.

### In *The Lion Guard*

Egyptian Cobras in *The Lion Guard* bear the markings of Indian Cobras. Their scales are maroon with violet markings.

## Information

Most cobras hunt at dawn or dusk although some species are known to forage during the heat of the day. Cobras, like other snakes, can go for days or even months without feeding – depending on the size of their last meal and their recent activity.

Although some species of cobra show more specialization in their preferred diets, most species are opportunists and will take whatever food is available including small mammals, birds, lizards, amphibians, other snakes, eggs and even carrion. Cobras are highly venomous snakes and all cobras regardless of species are potentially deadly.

While most bite to defend themselves there are a few that spit or shoot their venom out from their fangs. These cobras are called spitting cobras.

## History

### The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar

As Kion and Bunga run through the Pride Lands, Bunga careens into a peacefully sleeping Ushari, resulting in a baobab being shoved into Ushari's mouth. Bunga grabs the fruit from Ushari and flees, Kion leaping after him.

### The Lion Guard

Ushari the cobra appears in numerous episodes throughout the series.

### Bunga the Wise

The Lion Guard approaches the Cobras' hole after a flood to ensure that the snakes aren't trapped in the resulting mud.

### The Kupatana Celebration

Ushari is seen at the Kupatana Celebration with Timon and Pumbaa. He smiles kindly towards them.

### Fuli's New Family

Ushari is in a bush, where Bunga lands on his head unexpectedly. As a result, he bites Bunga on his backside. When Ono sees Ushari, he becomes worried. Beshte asks why he bit Bunga and he explains why, muttering that Bunga's lucky he only bit him once, before slithering back into his bush.

### Paintings and Predictions

Ushari is lying in the grass when Bunga jumps on him. He coils tightly around the honey badger, and tells him that while he should bite him, the last time he did he was unable to rid his mouth of Bunga's taste for days. Ushari then uncoils and slithers away.

### Never Roar Again

In the Lair of the Lion Guard, some of paints of cobra appear since Bunga tried to cheer Ono up.

### The Lost Gorillas

Ushari is resting near the Lion Guard when a gorilla called Hafifu calls his brother, Majinuni, and mistakenly refers to Ushari as a stick. Ushari is mildly offended by their statement, but before he can do anything, Hafifu grabs him from the dirt while Majinuni taunts him by saying he can't hit the baobab fruit. Hafifu assures him that he can and ignores Ushari's cries for him to stop, and throws Ushari into the fruit hanging on a tree. Ushari bites down with his fangs, but falls regardless.

### The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar

Ushari is sleeping peacefully, until he is awoken by the impending Lion Guard. After successfully avoiding nearly all of them, Bunga manages to crash into him. He tries to sleep elsewhere, but the Lion Guard disturb him again by sending the hyenas crashing into him. Although he avoids them from above, he is unable to escape the scarpering clan, and he gets trampled as they make a hasty retreat back home. He slithers away, muttering about how the Guard will one day pay for their constant disturbances. Little later, he overhears Makini speaking with Kion, who was talking with Mufasa. After discovering Kion's big secret, he moves into the Outlands, where Janja's Clan threaten to eat him after their unsuccessful hunting trip into the Pride Lands from earlier. He manages to persuade them into letting him go, with the promise of proving that Kion can speak to Mufasa, and planting the idea of them speaking with Scar in his head. He finds Makini again, with the hyenas watching him nearby, and gets her to consider asking her mentor, Rafiki, about being able to speak with the bad lions of the past. shari moves into a nearby bush and watches with Janja as Makini leaves with Rafiki. With Janja still wary of Ushari, Ushari calls his friends, a group of skinks, to see where Makini and her mentor go. They find them heading into The Lair of the Lion Guard, and Ushari follows them in after Kion has left. He learns that to summon Scar, the Roar of the Elders must be performed over the volcano, and, with the help of a Bakora Staff, the ritual will be complete. He reports back to Janja, and they come up with a plan to Bring Back a Legend. After kidnapping Kiara and stealing Makini's staff, Nne drops off the staff to Ushari, who waits in the Outlands Volcano. Once Janja forces Kion to use his roar in anger by taunting him, the volcano starts to erupt. Ushari shakes the stolen bakora staff and demands that the Lions of the Past listen to his call, but nothing happens. When Janja arrives he is furious that all the effort was for nothing, and tosses it in. With the staff in the volcano, a small eruption occurs, and Scar presents himself to them both.

### Let Sleeping Crocs Lie

When Shupavu and another skink discover that Makuu and his float have been disturbed, Ushari and Scar decide to keep an eye on the situation. Later, when a Mashindano is called for, Scar tells Ushari to trick Kiburi ]into believing that he can rule the Pride Lands. At sunset in Lake Matope, Ushari speaks with Kiburi privately before the match, explaining the plan. He checks that his crocodiles know what to do, and, after receiving a compliment from Kiburi, he slithers away. When Kiburi fails, he and his followers are banished from the Pride Lands. He finds Ushari sleeping in the Outlands, and angrily confronts him, asking him why he shouldn't eat him right there. Ushari is relaxed, and persuades the crocodile to let him show him something very, very special. He leads the crocodiles to Scar, who starts to tell them that he has a plan, which Ushari is eager to hear more about.

### Swept Away

In the Outlands Volcano, Ushari notices Cheezi and Chungu getting confused over something trivial, and rolls his eyes in annoyance. Just then, Njano arrives and shouts right next to Ushari to get his attention. Ushari is annoyed at the loud call, but becomes intrigued when he learns that Beshte is alone in the Outlands. When Scar overhears, he starts to note how easy it will be to eliminate him, and Ushari gets excited, stating that it will weaken the Lion Guard. When the hyenas get confused, Ushari commands them to listen to Scar, who has a plan. Later, when Janja, Cheezi and Chungu fail their mission, Ushari tracks them down, and informs them that Scar wishes to speak with them and he isn't happy with them.

### Rescue in the Outlands

As Ushari sleeps in the volcano, Janja, Cheezi and Chungu return, having failed a mission to find the jackals. After they explain that Jasiri got in their way, Ushari is dumbfounded that a single hyena was able to defeat all three of them. He watches as Scar appears, ultimately ordering Janja to get rid of her.

### The Bite of Kenge

Ushari gets stepped on by Janja and his hyenas as they return from an unsuccessful trip into the Pride Lands, having tried to steal some takiti melons. When Scar appears and hears about this, he orders them to go back and steal the takiti melons they tried to take. When Janja worries about the Lion Guard's interference, Ushari tells Scar and the hyenas about his friend, Big Bad Kenge, and is ordered to find him by Scar. Before the hyenas leave, Ushari warns them not to call Kenge "a little lizard".

### The Golden Zebra

A cobra is seen in a cave painting as Simba tries to figure out a solution to the Pride Land's current drought.

### The Scorpion's Sting

Ushari hears about Scar's latest plan, involving a scorpion named Sumu. The other leaders are frightened by the presence of such a dangerous creature, but Ushari knows that his venom is reserved for Simba. Later, having successfully stung Simba, Sumu returns with news of the success to Scar, who orders Ushari to get the other animals ready for a battle. When Scar gives the signal, Ushari joins the Army of Scar in a surprise ambush on the Lion Guard, revealing himself as their enemy for the first time. Along with Kenge, the skinks and Kiburi's float, Ushari edges the Lion Guard over a platform which itself looms over the volcano where Scar floats. But when Kion uses the Roar of the Elders on them, the cobra is thrown back and knocked out by the force.

### Undercover Kinyonga

Ushari starts to fight with Janja when he's late for his meeting with Scar.. Scar explains his next to plan to Janja which is to enter the Pride Lands, enter the riverbank above Hakuna Matata Falls at night, and push the rocks into the river until it stops the water from flowing. When Janja questions what that will do, Ushari tells him that this will cut off a major water supply during the middle of the dry season. Soon after the plan has been confirmed, Shupavu notices Kinyonga's shadow against a wall, and brings her to the attention of Scar. Ushari commands them to stop the intruder, and the skinks chase Kinyonga out of the volcano.

### Battle for the Pride Lands

As Scar plans to defeat the Lion Guard and the royal family, he tells Ushari how he got his scar in his eye. In a flashback, an adolescent Scar is patrolling the Pride Lands when a Strange Lion walks up to him. Knowing that he has the Roar of the Elders the strange lion suggests that Scar should be the king of the Pride Lands. But Scar then meets a Strange Cobra who attacks him, resulting in the scar on his eye.

Then, Scar tells Ushari that he will be part of his plan. Ushari reacts with excitement when he hears it.

When Lion Guard appears in the volcano, Ushari attacks Kion on Scar's order. Bunga reacts immediately after the fact and pushes the cobra away from Kion. Despite Bunga's best efforts, Ushari's attack leaves a scar on Kion's left eye.

Scar is very pleased about this. When Kion tells him they aren't the same, his eye starts to ache, and the cub rubs it. Ushari says his poison gives that type of effect, Bunga silences him by pushing him to the ground. The honey badger insists that Kion use the Roar on Scar and destroy him once and for all. Instead, the cub calls Great Lions of the Past, which destroys Scar. Ushari, not wanting Scar to be destroyed, jumps on Kion, and tries to attack him, but is pushed by Bunga away from Kion in time. Their struggle causes them both to fall into the lava, and, while Ono saves Bunga (albeit at the cost of losing much of his vision), Ushari falls into the lava and burns to death, ending the cobra's life once and for all.

### The River of Patience

Cobras can be seen on paintings inside the Tree of Life.

### Long Live the Queen

Cobras can be seen on paintings inside the Tree of Life.

### Triumph of the Roar

Cobras can be seen on paintings inside the Tree of Life.

## Notable Cobras in *The Lion Guard*

* Strange Cobra
* Ushari

## Trivia

* Despite the statement that cobra venom can drive someone towards insanity, in real life, cobra venom can suffocate and kill people within half an hour, but not before disorienting people and potentially giving them hallucinations.
* Despite the series stating that cobra venom causes people to forget right and wrong, several episodes in the third season indicate that this might be a false diagnosis, as Kion still has plenty of control of his actions, and even apologizes when he uses the Roar on innocent targets. It is heavily implied that the venom just brings out people's darker personalities and makes them more willing to act on them.
* In Battle for the Pride Lands, Scar and Kion receive dry scars as a result of cobra venom. This is totally unrealistic and false considering that in real life, cobras will sink their fangs into their predators and prey and inject their venom in that way. Realistically, Kion and Scar would've had 2 punctures in their faces, which would've been bleeding irregularly from the venom.
	+ In addition, Scar is bitten by a black-necked spitting cobra. Spitting cobras will spit their venom at their adversaries to ward the, off, rather than biting.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest\_cobra
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naja
3. ↑ http://www.capesnakeconservation.com/the-ultimate-cobra-snake-facts-guide/
4. ↑ https://www.livescience.com/43520-cobra-facts.html/

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