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6. King Cobra :
King cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest venomous snake on the Earth belonging to the family Elapidae. This snake owed fearsome reputation because of the fatalities caused by them in their habitat and even their personality with reaching lengths even reach 18 ft to 20 ft. It can inject a heavy dose of venom which can even bring down an adult elephant. Its geographical range stretches from Northern India, some parts of China, Hong Kong, Malay, Philippines and Indonesia. They are mostly found in grasslands,agricultural fields and dense forests. Despite its common name, these snakes do not originally belong to the true cobra species. King cobra can even prey on other snakes and hence its Latin name is derived from the Latin word Ophiophagus which mean snake-eater. King Cobra even feeds on some vertebrates such as lizards and rodents.
King cobra averages to 12 to 14 ft in length and weighs about 6 kg. Some even weigh to 12 kg. Males tend to be larger than females with larger heads with larger expandable hoods. The color of the King Cobra varies with geographical locations, however olive green is the most common one. However, you can find yellowish- white chevrons on its body. These features give King Cobra a fearsome fierce look. Juveniles are sometimes mistaken with common Krait but can be identified by hoods. Another interesting fact is they are the only snakes on Earth that build nests for their young. They have an average life span of 20 years.
King Cobras are fast moving serpents with amazing agility and swift movements. These are one of the few species of snakes that have good vision and they can even sense sound. However, when confronted, will try to escape from the threat. In extreme situations, this serpent becomes highly aggressive. When provoked, they raise their iconic hoods with bone-chilling hisses and strikes repeatedly. The venom is not that strong compared
to other venomous snakes, but the amount it injects can even kill an adult elephant or 20 humans. Its venom contains potent nuerotoxins which severely damages the Central nervous system with symptoms including severe pain, blurred vision,drowsiness and eventually paralysis. If envenomation is serious that results in renal failure and respiratory failure resulting coma or death. Though anti-venom is made available in many places, deaths are occurring due to improper medical facilities.
King Cobras are used by snake charmers of South Asia for their livelihood and restricting them to their natural habitat. They are even endangered by persecution by humans afraid of them and killing them indiscriminately for medicinal purposes. Consequently, they were placed in the wildlife conservation in India to prevent further decline of their number.
Venom toxicity-6
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| A massive King Cobra |
King cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest venomous snake on the Earth belonging to the family Elapidae. This snake owed fearsome reputation because of the fatalities caused by them in their habitat and even their personality with reaching lengths even reach 18 ft to 20 ft. It can inject a heavy dose of venom which can even bring down an adult elephant. Its geographical range stretches from Northern India, some parts of China, Hong Kong, Malay, Philippines and Indonesia. They are mostly found in grasslands,agricultural fields and dense forests. Despite its common name, these snakes do not originally belong to the true cobra species. King cobra can even prey on other snakes and hence its Latin name is derived from the Latin word Ophiophagus which mean snake-eater. King Cobra even feeds on some vertebrates such as lizards and rodents.
King cobra averages to 12 to 14 ft in length and weighs about 6 kg. Some even weigh to 12 kg. Males tend to be larger than females with larger heads with larger expandable hoods. The color of the King Cobra varies with geographical locations, however olive green is the most common one. However, you can find yellowish- white chevrons on its body. These features give King Cobra a fearsome fierce look. Juveniles are sometimes mistaken with common Krait but can be identified by hoods. Another interesting fact is they are the only snakes on Earth that build nests for their young. They have an average life span of 20 years.
King Cobras are fast moving serpents with amazing agility and swift movements. These are one of the few species of snakes that have good vision and they can even sense sound. However, when confronted, will try to escape from the threat. In extreme situations, this serpent becomes highly aggressive. When provoked, they raise their iconic hoods with bone-chilling hisses and strikes repeatedly. The venom is not that strong compared
to other venomous snakes, but the amount it injects can even kill an adult elephant or 20 humans. Its venom contains potent nuerotoxins which severely damages the Central nervous system with symptoms including severe pain, blurred vision,drowsiness and eventually paralysis. If envenomation is serious that results in renal failure and respiratory failure resulting coma or death. Though anti-venom is made available in many places, deaths are occurring due to improper medical facilities.
King Cobras are used by snake charmers of South Asia for their livelihood and restricting them to their natural habitat. They are even endangered by persecution by humans afraid of them and killing them indiscriminately for medicinal purposes. Consequently, they were placed in the wildlife conservation in India to prevent further decline of their number.
Ratings :
Venom toxicity-6
Venom yield-10
Personality-10
Fatality- 3
Deposition - 6
Total score-35
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