NEW YORK — A poisonous and potentially deadly cobra has disappeared from its enclosure at the Bronx Zoo, prompting the zoo to close off its reptile house.

“After learning the snake was missing yesterday afternoon, we immediately closed and secured the building as we took steps throughout the evening to recover the snake,” said Mary Dixon, a zoo spokeswoman.

The snake is a 20-inch-long adolescent Egyptian cobra that was being kept away from public display. It is highly venomous.

Zoo officials believe the snake is still inside the reptile house.

“Based on our knowledge of the natural history and behavior of snakes, we know they seek closed-in spaces and are not comfortable in open areas,” Dixon said. “We are confident that the snake, about 20 inches long, is contained in a non-public, isolation area within the building.”

The snake has been missing since Friday. The reptile house was closed for the weekend and remained off-limits Monday.

Zoo officials believe the snake will come out on its own when it gets hungry and that it will be recaptured.

Cobra Electronics will debut the first ever Bluetooth-compatible CB radio at the 2008 Mid-America Trucking Show March 27 through 29 in Louisville.

The patent pending 29 LTD BT is the first-ever CB radio is aimed at making communication easier and safer on the road by bringing your cell phone calls wirelessly into the CB unit.

This isn’t your normal Blast Magazine uber gadget, iPod, MP3 whatchamacallit, but the nerd in me squeals at the sight of this baby.

“With Bluetooth technology, the 29 LTD BT allows drivers a better way to have phone conversations on the road because calls from a mobile phone are synched with the CB radio. A noise canceling microphone allows calls to be heard loud and clear, even over a noisy engine,” Cobra said in a statement earlier this week. “Incoming audio is routed through the radio’s 5-Watt CB speaker making it easy for the driver to hear the caller. The Bluetooth feature also gives drivers the ability to answer and terminate calls by pushing one button on the CB microphone, allowing drivers to stay focused on the road.”

The new 29 LTD BT also has the standard CB complement including access to emergency channel 9, and tactile controls to allow the driver to feel where the dial is in its rotation without taking his eyes off the road.

The new unit also offers 4 Watts AM RF power output, the maximum amount of power allowed by law. (Insert Tim Allen grunt here)

The 29 LTD BT will be available this summer for $189.95.