King cobra
The king cobra—one of the most venomous snakes on the planet—can literally "stand up" and look a full-grown person in the eye. When confronted, they can lift up to a third of its body off the ground and still move forward to attack.
Fortunately, king cobras are shy and will avoid humans whenever possible. It will also flare out its iconic hood and emit a hiss that sounds almost like a growling dog.
King cobras can reach 18 feet in length, making them the longest of all venomous snakes.
Although zoologist Theodore Cantor first described the king cobra as one species in 1836, the snakes have recently undergone a rebranding. Differences in genetics and physical characteristics point to the snakes belonging to four separate species: the Northern king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), the Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus), the Western Ghats king cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga), and the Luzon king cobra (Ophiophagus salvatana).
Venom
King cobra venom is not the most potent among venomous snakes, but the amount of neurotoxin they can deliver in a single bite—up to two-tenths of a fluid ounce—is enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant. Their venom affects the respiratory centers in the brain, causing respiratory arrest and cardiac failure.
Habitat and behavior
King cobras live mainly in the rain forests and plains of India, southern China, and Southeast Asia, and their coloring can vary greatly from region to region. They are comfortable in a variety of habitats, including forests, bamboo thickets, mangrove swamps, high-altitude grasslands, and in rivers.
According to the new taxonomic designations, the Northern king cobra (O. hannah) can be found in eastern Pakistan, northern and eastern India, the Andaman Islands, southern China, south to central Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Sunda king cobra (O. bungarus) inhabits Malaysia, Indonesia, and parts of the southern Philippines. The Western Ghats king cobra (O. kaalinga) lives in its namesake mountain range in southwestern India. Finally, the Luzon king cobra (O. salvatana) can only be found on the island of Luzon in northern Philippines.
True to their genus name which means snake-eater in Greek, the serpents feed mainly on other snakes, venomous and nonvenomous. Some have even been documented eating other king cobras. They will also eat lizards, eggs, and small mammals.
King cobras are known to fight other males to win the attention of females during breeding season. They are the only snakes in the world that build nests for their eggs, which they guard ferociously until the hatchlings emerge.
Snake charmers
King cobras may be best known as the snake of choice for the snake charmers of South Asia. Although cobras can hear, they are actually deaf to ambient noises, sensing ground vibrations instead. Snake charming is 'often a sad con game in which an exhausted cobra is put on the defensive, yet conditioned (with pain) not to strike the flutist,' Smithsonian's National Zoo says.
Threats to survival
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists king cobras as vulnerable to extinction, but hasn't assessed the risk of the new individual species. These snakes face a variety of threats stemming from human activities. Heavy deforestation in Southeast Asia has destroyed the habitats of many king cobras, while they are also harvested in large numbers for skin, food, and medicinal purposes. They are also collected for the international pet trade. King cobras are also persecuted by humans who fear their menacing reputation.
Conservation
In Vietnam, the Northern king cobra is a protected species. Protected areas within this snake's geographic range likely provide some safeguards, and organizations like the King Cobra Conservancy work to better understand the behaviors of the species in order to educate the public and protect the snake's habitat. The Indian government implants microchips in captive king cobras to allow officials to identify any snakes that have newly been taken captive—which has been outlawed—in order to reduce the illegal wildlife trade.
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