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Friday, January 24, 2014

King Cobra

King Cobra
The king cobra  is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 18.5 to 18.8 ft This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia. Despite the word "cobra" in its name, this snake is not a member of Naja  but belongs to its own genus. The king cobra is considered to be a dangerous snake and has a fearsome reputation in its range although it typically avoids confrontation with humans if possible. It is also considered culturally significant and has many superstitions around it.The king cobra averages at 3 to 4 m  in length and typically weighs about 6 kg . The longest known specimen was kept captive at the London Zoo, and grew to around 18.5 to 18.8 ft (5.6 to 5.7 m) before being euthanised upon the outbreak of World War II. The heaviest wild specimen was caught at Royal Island Club in Singapore in 1951, which weighed 12 kilograms  and measured 4.8 m though an even heavier captive specimen was kept at New York Zoological Park and was measured as 12.7 kilograms at 4.4 m long in 1972.The length and mass of the snakes highly depend on their localities and some other factors. Despite their large sizes, typical king cobras are fast and agile.Some viper species, such as Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes and Gaboon vipers, often much shorter in length but bulkier in build, rival the King cobra in average weight and reportedly best them in maximum weight.

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