One of the most distinctive characteristic of king cobra is the so-called growl, which differs from the usual snake hiss. Their growl is a sound of low frequency ranging from to Hz, while the usual snake hissing has about — Hz of frequency range.
Cobra, Naja naja , is one of the most commonly known snakes with a high cultural significance apart from its notorious deadliness. The name cobra is a shortened version of its original term from the Portuguese language, which means the hooded snake. However, the general reference of cobra is Naja naja , there are few other cobras including Cape cobra, Spitting cobra, Tree cobra, and few others.
The most distinctive characteristic of the cobra is the reared up and spread neck to display threat to others.
They are quite dangerous with the presence of venom that could account for nervous failure, muscle failure, and cardiac failures to lead into necrosis and later for death if the victim is not treated with the proper anti-venom. The cobra has been a more significant character of the South Asian cultures related to Buddhism and Hinduism than any other animal. The king cobra is not considered to be a true cobra species, such as the other cobras in the Naja genus; instead, it belongs to its own genus, Ophiophagus.
The king cobra Ophiophagus hannah is the longest venomous snake species, with adults ranging from about 8 to 18 feet in length. They may live up to 25 years. Kings are sexually dimorphic, and the males reach a larger size compared to the females. The longest known specimen found in the wild was about Despite their size, king cobras are extremely fast and agile, and they are the source of inspiration for many myths and legends throughout their range, which extends throughout Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia.
Their longitudinal distribution extends from India in the west to southern China in the east, and in the mountainous regions of India, king cobras have been known to live in altitudes exceeding 6, feet above sea level.
Their home ranges can extend up to about three miles. Its genus name was derived based on its proclivity for eating other snakes , and it is known to attack larger snakes, including pythons. Captive king cobras can be difficult to switch from eating snakes to rodents, and some keepers will feed them ball pythons, which they seem to find quite delectable.
Morphologically, the king cobra has a larger head and more narrow hood compared to other cobra species. A key to identifying them is the presence of a pair of large scales, known as occipitals, located at the back of the top of the head.
Neonatal king cobras look much different compared to older animals. They have a distinct black and tan to orange alternating chevron banding pattern along their bodies. When they mature, most adult specimens lose the banding pattern and exhibit a more overall olive coloration. In spite of its fearsome reputation, the king cobra is generally a shy snake, avoiding confrontation with humans as much as possible.
It is one of the few species of reptiles to have its genome characterized. Much research has gone into the characterization of its venom and its use in biomedical applications such as pain medications and antivenin development. King cobras posses a highly neurotoxic venom, the main constituent of which is a postsynaptic neurotoxin, and a single bite can deliver up to mg of venom.
Its bite is considered more serious than those from other cobra species because a greater volume of venom is injected, as well as a more rapid onset of neurotoxic symptoms. That said, bites from king cobras are rare. The monocled cobra Naja kaouthia is one of the most readily recognized cobra species because of the unique, O-shaped pattern on its dorsal hood. Its range extends from southeast to southern Asia, including India, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Thailand where they are responsible for the greatest number of human fatalities resulting from snake envonmation , Nepal, Laos and Myanmar.
They are opportunistic and sometimes eat their own kind. King Cobra: Eat only other snakes. Rat snakes Ptyas mucosa , cobras Naja naja , malabar pit vipers Trimeresurus malabaricus. They occasionally feed on monitor lizards. They are cannibalistic.
Feel free to share your thoughts and more differences which you think might help people in understanding these snakes better. Posted in King cobras Tagged Common Cobra , Cuneate scales , differences , hood , king cobra , Naja naja , Occipital scale , ophiophagus hannah 59 Comments.
Wonderful quick comparison, gives good basic information on identification. Thank you for sharing! Thank you very much for this article. Short but effective article.. Its awesome Gowri… hope people will understand the difference and respect them both!
Thanks for this very illustrative and informative article. Am making a film on snake charmers … and they were expectedly misinforming us. This helped a lot. Through some other articles on king cobra, it is claimed that the king cobra is also found in temperate regions of Uttrakhand and Himachal pradesh.
Please Make comments…. A common cobra is venemous no doubt but the King cobra is the king for a reason! Dear Raghu, There are many criteria to consider to determine which is most venomous and this post is based on scientific facts.
In a 30 minute or 1 hour video it is difficult to state everything, so it requires discretion and further research instead of accepting everything stated as is. Same reason why kingsnakes of the US which eat other snakes but are nonvenomous are called kingsnakes. I have a doubt sir I observed that the spectacle shape of Naja naja has many variations.
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