{"id":64066,"date":"2022-09-01T11:18:32","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T03:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/besgroup.org\/?p=64066"},"modified":"2022-09-02T10:02:50","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T02:02:50","slug":"king-cobra-ophiophagus-hannah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/besgroup.org\/2022\/09\/01\/king-cobra-ophiophagus-hannah\/","title":{"rendered":"King cobra, Ophiophagus hannah"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Photo 1. Ophiophagus hannah<\/em> seen in Singapore. February 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Photo 2. A long snake indeed. Singapore . February 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The King Cobra belongs to the genus Ophiophagus <\/em>while the true cobras belong to the Naga <\/em>genus. There are several other snakes with the common names of cobra that do not belong to the Naga<\/em> genus, such as Tree cobras (Pseudohaje<\/em>), Ring neck spitting cobras (Hemachatus<\/em>), Shield nose cobras (Aspidelaps<\/em>), Black desert cobras (Walterinnesia<\/em>) and False water cobra (Hydrodynastes<\/em>).<\/p>\n

King Cobra, Ophiophagus hannah,<\/em> has long been considered monotypic. However, recent studies have shown that King Cobras may actually be four distinct species. Mitochondrial, nuclear gene and morphology studies show four independently evolving and\u00a0 geographically separated lineages: (1) Western Ghats lineage; (2) Indo-Chinese lineage (3) Indo-Malayan lineage; (4) Luzon Island lineage (the Philippine Archipelago).<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1055790321002335<\/a><\/p>\n

King cobras usually range from 10 to 13 feet but can reach 19 feet in length, making them the longest of all venomous snakes.<\/p>\n

These snakes are found from north-east India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, southern China, Liao, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines. They are found in forest areas, grasslands and mangrove forests. The skin color varies across the habitats, from black with white stripes to unbroken brownish grey. The muzzle is rounded, and the tongue black. \u00a0It has two short, fixed fangs in the front of the mouth, which channel venom into the prey. The large eyes have golden irises and round pupils.<\/p>\n

When confronted, the snake lifts up to a third of its body (front part) off the ground and then move forward to attack in this stance. This is then followed by the flare of its iconic hood and emitting a hiss that sounds almost like a growling dog.<\/p>\n

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