King cobra
| King Cobra | |
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| Genus: | Ophiophagus
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| Species: | O. hannah
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| Binomial name | |
| Ophiophagus hannah Cantor, 1836
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The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest of the venomous land snakes, growing up to 18.5 feet (5.7 meters) in length. Because they are slender, however, these snakes usually do not exceed 20 kg (44 lb). The snake's venom is a powerful neurotoxin known to be frequently fatal to humans. The mortality rate in King Cobra bites is 75%. Although called a Cobra it does not belong to the same genus (Naja) as "true" cobras. The King Cobra is peculiar in that it feeds almost exclusively on other snakes, which is reflected in its genus name of Ophiophagus (Snake eater). The King Cobra is known to attack larger snakes, including pythons. In spite of the King Cobra's fearsome reputation, it is generally a shy and reclusive animal, avoiding confrontation with people as much as possible. There are many smaller venomous snakes within this species' range that are responsible for a far greater number of fatal snake bites.
Like cobras, the king cobra lifts around a third of its body off the ground, makes a hood, and hisses loudly when it feels threatened. A fully-grown King Cobra would therefore be able to stare at a standing human directly in the eye, making it a terrifying sight and giving it a near-mythical reputation as a deadly snake.
Habitat
The King Cobra lives in much of mainland India, southern China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and throughout the dense highland forests of southeastern Asia. In the mountainous regions of India, king cobras have been known to live in altitudes exceeding 6,500 feet (approx. 2000m) above sea level. The snake has a preference for living areas dotted with lakes and streams, and is an excellent swimmer. King Cobra populations have dropped in some areas of its range due to the destruction of forests, but despite this the snake is in no danger of becoming extinct.
Hunting, diet and venom
King cobras, like all other snakes, smell using their forked tongue which picks up the preys scent particles and transfers them to a special sensory receptor (Jacobsons Organ), located in the roof of its mouth. When the scent of a potential meal has been detected, the snake will continue to flicker its tongue to guage the preys direction (the twin forks of the tongue acting in stereo) the snake will also rely on its excellent eyesight (able to detect moving prey almost 328 feet (100 meters) away), sensitivity to vibrations, and outstanding intelligence (compared to that of other cobra species) to track its prey. Following envenomation, the king cobra will begin to swallow its struggling prey whole (due to a lack of serrated cutting teeth) while toxins begin digesting the victim. King cobras, as with all other snakes, do not have rigidly fixed jaws. Instead the jaw bones are connected by extremely pliable ligaments, enabling the lower jaw bones to move independantly of each other. This enables all snakes to swallow prey much larger than their head size.
The king cobra's diet is mainly composed of other snakes (ophiophagy). When food is scarce though, king cobras will also feed on other small vertebrates, such as lizards. After a large meal the snake may live for many months without another meal due to a very slow metabolic rate. King cobras are able to hunt at all times of day, although it is rarely seen at night, leading some to erroneously classify it as a diurnal species.
If a king cobra encounters a threatening natural predator, such as the mongoose, which while not immune to the snake's venom has some resistance to the neurotoxins,[1] the cobra will generally try to flee. If all else fails, the cobra will flatten its upper ribs forming a hood around its neck and emit a high-pitched hiss, sometimes with feigned closed-mouth strikes.
King cobra venom, which is composed mostly of proteins and polypeptides, is produced in specialized salivary glands just behind the animal's eyes. When the king cobra bites its prey, venom is forced through the snake's half-inch-long (8-10 mm) fangs and into the wound. A king cobra is capable of injecting more venom than any other snake except the gaboon viper. In fact, a king cobra can deliver enough venom to kill a full-grown Asian Elephant in 3 hours.
King cobra venom attacks the victim's nervous system and quickly induces severe pain, blurred vision, vertigo, drowsiness, and paralysis. In the minutes following, cardiovascular collapse occurs, and the prey falls into a coma. Death soon follows due to respiratory failure. There are two types of antivenin made specifically to treat king cobra envenomations. The Red Cross in Thailand manufactures one, and the Central Research Institute in India [1]manufactures another. Both are made in small quantity, and are not widely available.[2] Several studies indicate that the annual mortality incidence in India is still 5.6-12.6 per 100,000 of population.[citation needed]
Drop for drop the king cobra's venom is less lethal than many other snakes, including that of the black mamba and common cobra, but the volume injected can be as much as .2 fluid ounces (7 mL), which makes up for lack of potency and is enough to kill 20-30 people.[citation needed]
Breeding and lifestyle
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