Do cobras really spread their neck while getting freezed?

http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/news/Shocked-teenagers-snake-play-area/article-2939351-detail/article.html

Hello Peter,

This story is from my local newspaper. I was contacted by the veterinary surgery after the 'cobra' was brought to them. They sent me pictures of the snake and told me that there was a very strong smell of alcohol from it, and that all the insides were missing. This snake was obviously disgarded from a bottle of alcohol, purchased as a souvenier by someone which also explains why its hood was still up.

It annoys me that this story has made it into the paper, more bad press for venomous snake keeping.

cheers,

Tom

That's exactly what i guessed.
Some asian species out of the colubrid family arranged as cobra out of a bottle of spirits.
I've seen a few of these souvenirs in the past, from China and from Vietnam as well - none of these snakes could be identified as cobra, but Rhabdophis or Xenochrophis spp..
Small sticks are used to keep the neck in shape.

regards
Peter

On another account, there was a real frozen cobra (Naja atra, wrong id by the newspaper) found outside an appartment complex in Sweden the other day

(Swedish link)
http://www.kristianstadsbladet.se/ostragoinge/osby/article1307507/Hittade-giftorm-paring-gatan.html