King cobra
| King cobra | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Subfamily: | Elapinae |
| Genus: | Ophiophagus Günther,1864 |
| Species: | O. hannah
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| Binomial name | |
| Ophiophagus hannah Cantor,1836
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Distribution of the king cobra
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| Synonyms | |
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Genus-level:
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Theking cobra(Ophiophagus hannah) is in theElapidaefamily ofsnakes.It is the longestvenomous snakein the world. An adult king cobra can grow up to 18 feet (5.5 m), though most are less than 12 ft (3.7 m).[2][3]It isendemictoAsia.
King cobras are the longest of all venomous snakes. As they face a variety of threats stemming from human activities, these snakes are vulnerable to extinction.
The king cobra lives throughoutIndiaand in some parts of the south and the east ofAsia.It is known around the world for its dangerousvenom.It mostly avoidshumans.[4]The King cobra lives up to 20 years.[5]
The king cobra lives in thick forests,[3][6]and likes areas dotted with lakes and streams.
It eats mostly othersnakesbut sometimeslizardsandrodents.[7][8]After a large meal it may live months before eating again.[3]
TheIndian grey mongooseis one of the few predators of the king cobra but may not attack them much.[9]
Venom[change|change source]
The venom from a bite can be deadly. The snake can kill a man with a single bite.[7]The mortality rate can be as high as 75% withoutantivenom.[7][10][11]
Thereare two kinds ofantivenomthat can be used to help when someone is bitten. Bites do not happen often, snake handlers are most likely to be bitten.[4]
Parenting[change|change source]
Unlike many snakes, the femaleking cobrais a very good parent. It makes a mound as a nest for its eggs and protects them for 60-90 days until they hatch. It lays 20-40 eggs.[12]The mother stays until the eggs begin to hatch and then leaves to find food for herself. Babyking cobrasare 18–22 inches (460–560 mm) and have venom as strong as adults.[4]
Growling hiss[change|change source]
The hiss of theking cobrais a much lower pitch than many other snakes and many people thus liken its call to a "growl" rather than a hiss. While the hisses of most snakes are of a broad-frequency span ranging from roughly 3,000 to 13,000Hzwith a dominant frequency near 7,500 Hz, king cobra growls consist solely of frequencies below 2,500 Hz, with a dominant frequency near 600 Hz, a much lower-sounding frequency closer to that of a human voice. Comparative anatomical morphometric analysis has led to a discovery of tracheal diverticula that function as low-frequency resonating chambers in king cobra and its prey, the rat snake, both of which can make similar growls.
References[change|change source]
- ↑Stuart, B.; Wogan, G.; Grismer, L.; Auliya, M.; Inger, R. F.; Lilley, R.; Chan-Ard, T.; Thy, N.; Nguyen, T. Q.; Srinivasulu, C.; Jelić, D. (2012)."Ophiophagus hannah".The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2012.IUCN:e.T177540A1491874.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T177540A1491874.en.
- ↑"Cobra".Encyclopædia Britannica.Retrieved2010-10-10.
- ↑3.03.13.2Mehrtens, John (1987).Living snakes of the world.New York: Sterling.ISBN0-8069-6461-8.
- ↑4.04.14.2O'Shea, Mark (2011).Venomous snakes of the world.Princeton University Press.ISBN978-0-691-15023-9.
- ↑"National geographic- KING COBRA".10 September 2010.
They are fiercely aggressive when cornered; average life span in the wild: 20 years
- ↑Miller, Harry (1970). "The cobra, India's 'good snake'".National Geographic.20:393–409.
- ↑7.07.17.2Capula, Massimo; Behler (1989).Simon & Schuster's guide to reptiles and amphibians of the world.New York: Simon & Schuster.ISBN0-6716-9098-1.
- ↑Coborn, John (1991).The atlas of snakes of the world.TFH Publications. pp.30,452.ISBN978-0-86622-749-0.
- ↑Mondadori, Arnoldo 1988 (ed.).Great book of the animal kingdom.New York: Arch Cape Press. p. 301.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: editors list (link) - ↑"Ophitoxaemia (venomous snake bite)".Retrieved2007-09-05.
- ↑Sean Thomas."Most dangerous snakes in the world".Retrieved2007-09-05.
- ↑Piper, Ross (2007).Extraordinary animals: an encyclopedia of curious and unusual animals.Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.ISBN978-0-313-33922-6.
Other websites[change|change source]
- Real Audio format of a king cobra hissingArchived2009-03-26 at theWayback Machine