The King of Snakes - King Cobra

King cobra is the largest venomous snake in China. It lives in warm areas in southern China, including Panzhihua in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi and even Medog in Tibet.

Figure 1 King cobra (Source: Wikipedia)

The King Cobra is one of the largest venomous snakes in the world. Some people even think that no other venomous snake is larger than the King Cobra. The length of the whole body can exceed 5 meters, which is equivalent to the length of almost three adults. Their bodies are also very thick, even thicker than the ankles of adults. The amount of venom discharged by the King Cobra is also very large. When hunting, the average venom discharged at one time can reach 100 mg, which is more than 20 times that of the Bungarus cobra. It is truly the king of snakes.

When the king cobra is showing off, it will raise its neck, and its neck will be as flat as a cobra's. However, the difference between them and cobras is that there are no complex "glasses" markings on the flat neck, but only a few white horizontal stripes. In addition to the two top scales on the top of the head, there is also a pair of large scales on the back, called occipital scales.

The venom of the king cobra is a mixed toxin, including neurotoxins and blood-circulating toxins, with neurotoxins being the main toxins. Most neurotoxins are polypeptides, which are a type of protein with a very small and short structure. Their function is to inhibit the conductivity of nerves and muscles. The bitten person will experience muscle paralysis, respiratory failure and convulsions. In severe cases, respiratory muscle paralysis will occur. If not rescued in time, death will occur due to respiratory arrest. Blood-circulating toxins can poison the cardiovascular system and cause coagulation disorders in the bitten person, such as difficulty in stopping bleeding, etc., eventually leading to heart failure and death. The blood-circulating toxins of the king cobra, because of their large amount, can cause cardiac arrest and death in the bitten person.

But don't worry, the king cobra's diet does not include humans, and it will not actively attack people. They mainly eat other snakes or lizards. After encountering other snakes, the king cobra will take the initiative to attack. Other venomous snakes generally use a surprise attack method, bite the prey with fangs and inject venom, and then quickly open their mouths to let go of the prey, and wait until the prey dies of poisoning before biting and swallowing it again. But the king cobra is not like this. They will track other snakes, bite any part of the prey at will, and then inject a large amount of venom. The prey quickly loses resistance under the action of this large dose of venom. The king cobra rarely puts down the prey, but directly moves the prey's head with its mouth and swallows it from the head. In addition to killing the prey, the king cobra's venom will gradually digest the prey. It can be said that the king cobra is the top predator among snakes and a very important species in the southern forest ecosystem.

Figure 2 King cobra eating a snake (Source: Wikipedia)

Such a ferocious species is a warm-hearted mother. When laying eggs, the king cobra will build a nest with dead branches and fallen leaves, and then build a layer of fallen leaves for every few eggs it lays, and will build four or five layers. After laying eggs, the mother snake will coil on the nest to guard until the baby snakes hatch. If there are large animals moving a few meters away at this time, they will raise their bodies, and some can even raise more than one meter high. If the intruder has not noticed its warning or has not retreated, the mother snake will intimidate the intruder and make a pursuit. At this time, if the person in front of it moves quickly, it may anger it and prompt it to attack, and it will attack continuously. Its attack range can reach more than 2 meters. Many people misjudge the safe distance and are bitten by angry king cobras. It is these actions of the king cobra that make people think that the king cobra will actively attack people. In fact, it was people who invaded their homes first.

Figure 3 Female king cobra and her nest (Source: https://www.hdnicewallpapers.com/)

But if people move slowly and quietly, the king cobra will generally not behave aggressively. That is why many hunters have mastered this habit of the king cobra and have captured a large number of king cobras to sell as medicine or eat.

The southern part of the world where king cobras are widely distributed is also a place where human activities are frequent. The forests where king cobras live have been developed by people to grow rice, bananas, coffee, etc. Therefore, the number of king cobras has dropped sharply throughout the world.

Figure 4 Hunter catching a king cobra (Source: Wikipedia)

Due to habitat destruction and the impact of human capture, the population has declined sharply, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the survival status of the king cobra as vulnerable (VU). The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has also included the king cobra in Appendix II of CITES, and its international trade is restricted.

In China, many people risk their lives to catch king cobras in the wild because they are large and have a lot of meat, and because they are in great demand for Chinese medicinal materials. In addition, king cobras like to move around in the southern hills and other places, which overlaps with the activities of farmers. Therefore, the habitat of king cobras in China has also been affected by people's production and life, and has become fragmented. Therefore, Chinese reptile research experts have assessed king cobras as endangered (EN) in the "Red List of Chinese Vertebrates".

(Source: Science Press, Author: Cai Bo)