The king cobra is legendary for a number of different reasons. They are deadly when a bite goes untreated, and they are fairly aggressive in nature. The thing that makes the king cobra legendary, however, is the massive size. The king cobra is the largest venomous snake in the world. They grow to a solid 14 feet in length. That incredible size has some pretty scary thoughts attached to it.
Consider this. You are walking in the Asian forest, and suddenly you come upon a king cobra. Now it is likely that the king cobra would slink away, but that is not always the case. Often a king cobra will raise it’s front end off the ground and spread that impressive hood that cobras are known for. This display is to show you (the danger in their eyes) that they are big, tough and not to be trifled with.
This is the first scary thought I was referring to. A king cobra is fourteen feet long. They can generally lift about a third of their bodies off the ground in this pose. That means that this snake can rise five feet in the air to stare most people pretty much in the face. Can you imagine that? A cobra that raises up and looks you in the eye? That is a spooky thought.
Now consider this. Snakes can generally strike at a distance that is equal to half of their body length. The king cobra is 14 feet so that means that you could be seven feet away from that snake and still get bitten. That is the length of Andre the Giant. That is a powerful snake to be sure and people can easily misjudge the safe distance.
Another thing about the king cobra is that it is quite capable of delivering copious amounts of venom. There are a number of snakes that are more venomous, or have more toxic venom. The king cobra, however, has huge venom glands to match their size, and they can deliver a large dose in each bite. That is the primary problem in most king cobra snake bites. It is the combination of a toxic venom, and a large amount of venom injected.
The king cobra is a snake that is to be respected and in certain cases feared. This does not mean that these beautiful reptiles should be killed. They should be feared only in that they should be left alone. If you are dumb enough to mess with a king cobra, then chances are you will not live to tell about it. Enjoy them from afar, and let them go about their business. The king wants it’s privacy, after all.
Very interesting post! Keep up the great work!
Comment by Michael — July 9, 2009 @ 2:06 pm