Saturday, September 1, 2012

The World´s Longest Venomous Snake



The King Cobra is currently known as the world´s longest venomous snake, it can reach up to 5.6 meters (18 feet) in length. Despite its large size, King Cobras are fast and agile. When confronted, they can raise up to one third of their bodies straight off the ground and still move forward to attack. They are easily irritated by close approaching objects or sudden movements. King Cobras attack quickly and the strike distance can be as high as 7 feet.

Native mainly throughout the rainforests and plains of India, southern China and southern Asia, the King Cobra is usually comfortable in trees, on land and in water. Its diet consists primarily of other venomous and non-venomous snakes. When food is scarce, it may also feed on lizards, eggs and small mammals. The King Cobras most common meal is the rat snake; this leads the King Cobra near to human settlements where there are a lot of rats. After a large meal, the snake may live for many months without another meal because of its slow metabolic rate. The venom of the King Cobra is not as potent as other venomous snakes, but on the other hand, the amount of neurotoxin that it can deliver in a single bite – up to two-tenths of a fluid ounce (seven milliliters) – is sufficient to kill 20 people, and can even kill an elephant within 3 hours. One bite from a King Cobra to a human can cause death within 15 minutes. Fortunately, these creatures are timid and avoid confrontation with humans as often as possible, but keep in mind that they are fiercely aggressive when cornered.

King Cobras are the only snakes in the world that build nests for their eggs. The female King Cobra is a very dedicated parent; she usually deposits 20 to 40 eggs and guards them until they start to hatch. When the eggs are hatched, instinct makes her leave the nest and find food to eat so that she does not eat her young. Despite the fact that cobras can hear, they are actually deaf to ambient noises, sensing ground vibrations in its place. When snake charmers play flute, the cobra is actually attracted by the shape and movements of the charmers flute, and not by the music it releases…

king cobra eating



Elvis the recued king cobra now calls Singapore Zoo’s Reptile Garden home. Visitors can see how active he is during the king cobra feeding session every Sunday at 2.15pm

The king cobra can strike up at targets within 2.5 metres, making it extremely easy to misjudge safe distances. Despite its size and reputation for ferocity, it only attacks when startled, provoked or when protecting its eggs.
The 4.3 metre king cobra, christened Elvis, is a spectacular specimen, and perhaps one of the largest to have been found in Singapore.
 Three King Cobras in Thailand
king cobra eating python





frog eating snake



cobra with eagle

King Cobra Attack




Prior to this sighting, the species has been reported from Gangtok 1700m in 1923 and was believed to be limited to the tropical forests of Sikkim Himalaya <1250m (Gammie 1928). The species has also been reported from the Teesta Valley, Sikkim at elevations <500m (Chettri  & Bhupathy 2007; Chettri et al. 2008). The highest known altitude record for King Cobra in the entire northeastern India was 1700m at Khonoma, Nagaland (Das et al. 2008). Temperate forests of the eastern Himalaya have never been reported as a habitat for the King Cobra as they were in higher altitudes characterized by cold climatic conditions (Ahmed et al. 2009).

There have been very few herpetofaunal surveys in this region as evident from the record of the King Cobra after a gap of 82 years from Sikkim (Gammie 1928; Chettri  & Bhupathy 2007; Chettri et al. 2008). Lack of awareness among the local people could also be a disadvantage for the conservation of this species as its status and distribution has not been fully documented. Therefore, we recommend that dedicated surveys be carried out in all four districts of Sikkim to ascertain the present distribution limits and conservation status of the King Cobra and other species of herpetofauna as initiated by Chettri et al. (2008, 2010); and awareness programmes for the local communities to enable them understand the significance of this species and conservation importance of other herpetofauna. This new record of King Cobra in temperate forests and at higher altitudes requires further research.

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King Cobra Image

King cobras rarely attack humans


Large Thailand King Cobra head
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King of Snakes King Cobra.....








Cobra is the common name for members of the family of venomous snakes,Elapidae, known for their intimidating looks and deadly bite. Cobras are recognized by the hoods that they flare when angry or disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras' heads. These reptiles are found throughout the Philippines, southern Asia, and Africa.
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake. The king cobra, or hamadryad, holds the record length of 24 ft. for a venomous snake! The king cobra is unique among snakes in that it makes a nest for its eggs, scraping up leaves and other debris in which to deposit them, and remains in the nest until the young hatch.
It averages 3.7 m (12 ft) in length but is known to grow to 5.5 m (18 ft). It is a thin snake, olive or brown in color, with bronze eyes. It is found in thePhilippinesMalaysia, southern ChinaBurma, and the Malay Peninsula. The other cobra of Asia is known variously as the common, Asian,Indian, or spectacled cobra (due to the eyeglass-shaped pattern on its skin). It seldom reaches a length of more than 1.8 m (6 ft). The hood of the Asian cobra is,proportionately,much larger than that of the king cobra and is usually yellow to brown, with a black-andwhitespectaclepattern on top and two black and white spots on the
lower surface. This snake causes thousands of deaths each year in India, where it is regarded with religious awe and are seldom killed. It ranges from the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea to China and Malaysia
Most cobras are natives of Africa
Among them is the spitting, or black-necked cobra, found from southern Egyptto northern South Africa. This snake can spray its venom from a distance of about 2.4
(about 8 ft) accurately. Varieties of the spitting cobra range in color from dull black to pink,
the lighter-colored ones marked by a black band around the neck. The ringhals, a different type of spitting cobra confined to southern Africa, is thesmallest of the cobras, reaching only about 1.2 m (about 4 ft) in length. It is dark brown or black with ridged, or keeled, scales and light rings on the neck.The asp, or Egyptian cobra is widely distributed throughout Africa, being the most common. Contrary to folklore, cobras will seldom attack unprovoked. When threatened, however, the Cobra will make full use of its deadly force. Cobras are famous for their use by snake charmers because they respond well to visual cues, and are of spectacular appearance.

King cobra snake raising


Specifically preyed cobra snake as his life made a number of other snake species cringe with fear, do not expect to territory occupied by another snake. If the cobra be surprised, he will become malignant, the front of the body will stand up straight, smooth tongue length and branching, head swinging with lively gestures follow their prey, and do not expect their prey can easily escape from it.
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King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah





It seems unfairly menacing that a snake that can literally "stand up" and look a full-grown person in the eye would also be among the most venomous on the planet, but that describes the famous king cobra.
King cobras can reach 18 feet (5.5 meters) in length, making them the longest of all venomous snakes. When confronted, they can raise up to one-third of their bodies straight off the ground and still move forward to attack. They will also flare out their iconic hoods and emit a bone-chilling hiss that sounds almost like a growling dog.
Their venom is not the most potent among venomous snakes, but the amount of neurotoxin they can deliver in a single bite—up to two-tenths of a fluid ounce (seven milliliters)—is enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant. Fortunately, king cobras are shy and will avoid humans whenever possible, but they are fiercely aggressive when cornered.
King cobras live mainly in the rain forests and plains of India, southern China, and Southeast Asia, and their coloring can vary greatly from region to region. They are comfortable in the trees, on land, and in water, feeding mainly on other snakes, venomous and nonvenomous. They will also eat lizards, eggs, and small mammals.
They are the only snakes in the world that build nests for their eggs, which they guard ferociously until the hatchlings emerge.
King cobras may be best known as the species of choice for the snake charmers of South Asia. Although cobras can hear, they are actually deaf to ambient noises, sensing ground vibrations instead. The charmer's flute entices the cobra by its shape and movement, not by the music it emits.

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Black cobra snakes

king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m (18.5 ft).[1] This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia. The heaviest wild specimen was caught at Royal Island Club in Singapore in 1951 which weighed 12 kilograms (26 lb) and measured 4.8 meters (16 ft), though an even heavier captive specimen was kept at New York Zoological Park and was measured as 12.7 kilograms (28 lb) at 4.4 meters (14 ft) long in 1972. The length and mass of the snakes highly depend on their localities and some other factors. cobra's genus name, Ophiophagus, means "snake-eater", and its diet consists primarily of other snakes, including ratsnakes, small pythons and even other venomous snakes (smaller members of its own species, true cobras (of the genus naja), and even the much more venomous members of the krait family). When food is scarce, they may also feed on other small vertebrates, such as lizards, birds, and rodents. In some cases, the cobra may "constrict" its prey, such as birds and larger rodents, using its muscular body, though this is uncommon. After a large meal, the snake may live for many months without another one because of its slow metabolic rate. Toxic constituents are mainly proteins and polypeptides.

During a bite, venom is forced through the snake's 1.25 to 1.5 centimeters (0.49 to 0.59 in) fangs into the wound, and the toxins begin to attack the victim's central nervous system. Symptoms may include severe pain, blurred vision, vertigo, drowsiness, and paralysis. Envenomation progresses to cardiovascular collapse, and the victim falls into a coma.

king cobra is unusual among snakes in that the female king cobra is a very dedicated parent. She makes a nest for her eggs, scraping up leaves and other debris into a mound in which to deposit them, and remains in the nest until the young hatch.

A female usually deposits 20 to 40 eggs into the mound, which acts as an incubator. She stays with the eggs and guards the mound tenaciously, rearing up into a threat display if any large animal gets too close,[32] for roughly 60 to 90 days.

Inside the mound the eggs are incubated at a steady 28 °C (82 °F). When the eggs start to hatch, instinct causes the female to leave the nest and find prey to eat so she does not eat her young.
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King cobra begest King cobra snakes

The King Cobra is the world's longest venomous snake,with a length that can be as large as 6.7 m (22 ft).This species is widespread throughout Southeast Asia and parts of India,but found mostly in forested areas. The skin is either olive-green,tan or black and it has faint,pale yellow cross bands down the length of the body.The belly is cream or pale yellow, and the scales are smooth.The head of a mature snake can be quite massive and bulky in appearance,though like all snakes,they can expand their jaws to swallow large prey items.
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world mostly dengerous snakes King cobra
It has proteroglyph dentition,meaning it has two short,fixed fangs in the front of the mouth which channel venom into the prey like hypodermic needles.The male is larger and thicker than the female. It lives in dense highland forests.The snake has a preference for living in areas dotted with lakes and streams.King Cobra populations have dropped in some areas of its range due to the destruction of forests,but despite this the snake. King Cobra's venom is primarily neurotoxic and thus attacks the victim's central nervous system and quickly induces severe pain, blurred vision,vertigo,drowsiness,and paralysis

king kobra snake



king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m (18.5 ft). This species is widespread throughout Southeast Asia and parts of India, and is found mostly in forested areas. King Cobra is a large and powerful snake, averaging 3.6–4 m (12–13 feet) in length and typically weighing about 6 kg (13.2 lb). A particularly large specimen was kept captive at the London Zoo, and grew to 5.7 m (18.8 ft) before being euthanized upon the outbreak of World War II. When the scent of a meal is detected, the snake flicks its tongue to gauge the prey's location (the twin forks of the tongue acting in stereo); it also uses its keen eyesight (king cobras are able to detect moving prey almost 100 m [300 feet] away), intelligence and sensitivity to earth-borne vibration to track its prey. Following envenomation, the king cobra will begin to swallow its struggling prey while its toxins begin the digestion of its victim.

When threatened, it raises up the anterior portion of its body, flattening the neck, showing the fangs and hissing loudly. (Bioacoustic analysis of the "growl" of the king cobra has shown that it differs significantly from other snakes. Generally a typical snake hiss has a broad-frequency span (~3,000 to 13,000 Hz) with a dominant frequency near 7,500 Hz, whereas the "growl" of the king cobra consists of frequencies below 2,500 Hz, with a dominant frequency near 600 Hz.) It is easily irritated by closely approaching objects or sudden movements. The king cobra attacks quickly, and the strike distance is about 2 m (7 feet); people can easily misjudge the safe distance. The king cobra may deliver multiple bites in a single attack, or bite and hold on. they may also feed on other small vertebrates, such as lizards, birds, and rodents. In some cases, the cobra may "constrict" its prey, such as birds and larger rodents, using its muscular body, though this is uncommon.
the king cobra's venom was treated as 1.6 mg/kg – 1.8 mg/kg (which was one of the least venomous elapids). However, in recent toxicology study the LD50 of Chinese king cobra venom was found to be 0.34 mg/kg . The value is lower than that of many Naja species found in the same habitats (such as the Chinese cobra), showing that the king cobra can actually be more venomous than many other cobras. The king cobra is also capable of delivering larger quantities of venom than most other snakes, injecting a 380-600 mg dose in a single bite on average. It was reported that a single bite from this species can kill an adult Asian elephant. king cobra is unique among snakes in that the female king cobra is a very dedicated parent. She makes a nest for her eggs, scraping up leaves and other debris into a mound in which to deposit them, and remains in the nest until the young hatch.
A female usually deposits 20 to 40 eggs into the mound, which acts as an incubator. She stays with the eggs and guards the mound tenaciously, rearing up into a threat display if any large animal gets too close.
Inside the mound the eggs are incubated at a steady 28 °C (82 °F). When the eggs start to hatch, instinct causes the female to leave the nest and find prey to eat so she does not eat her young.