IMG_9845-1(W) Sub-adult Malayan King Cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus) by a slope

Also known as the Hamadryad.

Toxicity: Highly venomous (fatal if left untreated)

Length: About 2.5 meter (8.2 ft.), maximum length for this species is about 5.85 meter (19.2 ft.).

Location: Malay Peninsula.

Previously O.hannah, now O.bungarus.

 

In 2024, a new paper by Das., Shankar., Swamy., Williams., Lalremsanga., Prashanth., Sahoo., Vijayakumar, Höglund., Shanker., Dutta., Ganesh, & Wüster (2024) suggested that King Cobra consists of 4 species.

 

(1) Northern King Cobra (O. hannah),

eastern Pakistan, northern and eastern India, the Andaman Islands, Indo-Burma and Indo-China, south to central Thailand.

 

(2) Sunda king cobra (O. bungarus);

Malay Peninsular, Greater Sunda Islands and parts of the southern Philippines.

 

(3) Western Ghats king cobra (O. kaalinga)- Western Ghats of south-western India and

 

(4) Luzon king cobra (O. salvatana).

island of Luzon in northern Philippines.

 

These distinct genetic lineages are geographically isolated and adapted to specific ecological regions

 

 

The team was called to captured /rescued this king cobra (KC) from someone's plantation estate and had been hand over to my associate for release right after my photo session.

 

Fun facts:

-KC built nest to regulate the temperature @ incubate their eggs (the only snake in world that does that).

-KC guard their eggs (about 100 days)

-KC can control the amount of venom it inject into its prey. India has on average 45,000-50,000 death cases per year (by the Big Four Venomous Snakes i.e., Spectacled Cobra, Russell's Viper, Saw-Scaled Viper and & Common Krait) but only 5 death cases are accounted for by King Cobra (Source: Nat Geo Wild).

 

 

Done