Ian
priscilla 1King Cobra
June 2nd 2008 12:53
The King Cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, growing to a length of 5.6 m (16.5 ft) and a weight of up to 6 kg (20 lbs). This species is quite widespread, ranging throughout south-eastern Asia and into India. Its genus name, Ophiophagus, literally means "snake-eater", and its diet primarily consists of other snakes, including sizeable pythons and even smaller members of its own species. The venom of the King Cobra is primarily neurotoxic, and the snake is fully capable of killing a human with a single bite.
If a King Cobra encounters a natural predator, such as the mongoose, which has some resistance to the neurotoxins, the cobra will generally try to flee. If all else fails, it will flatten its upper body by spreading its ribs, forming the distinctive cobra hood about its neck, and emit a high-pitched hiss, sometimes with feigned closed-mouth strikes.
*These pictures used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.
**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article King Cobra.
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Comment by technohut
Luckily, I didn't get bite by it...