The King Cobra

 The King Cobra

The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is a venomous snake endemic to Asia. With an average length of 3.18 to 4 m (10.4 to 13.1 ft) and a maximum record of 5.85 m (19.2 ft),it is the world's longest venomous snake. Colouration of this species varies across habitats, from black with white stripes to unbroken brownish grey. The sole member of the genus Ophiophagus, it is not taxonomically a true cobra, despite its common name and some resemblance. The king cobra inhabits forests from South to Southeastern Asia where it preys chiefly on other snakes, including those of its kind. 

Bites of the  king cobra's skin is olive green with black and white bands on the trunk that converge to the head.

The king cobra has a wide distribution in South and Southeast Asia.

Like other snakes, a king cobra receives chemical information via its forked tongue, which picks up scent particles and transfers them to a sensory receptor (Jacobson's organ) located in the roof of its mouth.When it detects the scent of prey, it flicks its tongue to gauge the prey's location, with the twin forks of the tongue acting in stereo. It senses earth-borne vibration and detects moving prey almost 100 m (330 ft) away.Its diet consists primarily of other snakes and lizards, including Indian cobra, banded krait, rat snake, pythons, green whip snake, keelback, banded wolf snake and Blyth's reticulated snake.

The king cobra is not considered aggressive.It usually avoids humans and slinks off when disturbed, but is known to aggressively defend incubating eggs and attack intruders rapidly.

The king cobra possesses a potent neurotoxic venom and death can occur in as little as 30 minutes after being bitten.Most victims bitten by king cobras are snake charmers.

The hiss of the king cobra is 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 13,000 Hz with 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.

The king cobra's venom consists of cytotoxins and neurotoxins, including alpha-neurotoxins and three-finger toxins.Other components have cardiotoxic effects.Its venom is produced in anatomical glands named postorbital venom glands.

It can deliver up to 420 mg venom in dry weight (400–600 mg overall) per bite,with a LD50 toxicity in mice of 1.28 mg/kg through intravenous injection,1.5 to 1.7 mg/kg through subcutaneous injection,and 1.644 mg/kg through intraperitoneal injection.

The toxins affect the victim's central nervous system, resulting in severe pain, blurred vision, vertigo, drowsiness, and eventually paralysis. If the envenomation is serious, it progresses to cardiovascular collapse, and the victim falls into a coma. Death soon follows due to respiratory failure. The affected person can die within 30 minutes of envenomation.

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