One of the most amazing and most dangerous representatives of the snake family is the king cobra. The habitat is the southern tropical forests of India and Pakistan. Although lately, royal cobras have been increasingly seen near human settlements, due to massive deforestation, which has led to a reduction in natural habitat. The length of an adult is an average of three meters, although there have been recorded cases when there were specimens 5.5 meters long.
The most interesting fact is that the king cobra is the only snake that feeds only on other snakes. This is a fast and ruthless hunter who knows no mercy. If a smaller snake comes into
view, then its fate is already a foregone conclusion.
In addition, many interesting facts remained in the life of a predator in the wild, due to which he is truly a “royal” cobra.
Babies of a royal cobra are born with a length of only 40 centimeters. But they already have their behavior and the deadly poison of their parents in their blood. After all, the king cobra has poison that can even kill an elephant. Although, interestingly, it regulates the amount of poison injected into the victim. If the female wants to drive the stranger away from the nest, then she can make a "bladeless" bite, in which she will not inject poison at all.
Of the hatched babies, only 15 percent survive, the rest die without reaching puberty. Upon reaching puberty, the male or female choose their territory for hunting. If an alien invades this territory, then the king cobra rises to its full height, and the rivals are measured, the one whose taller growth is considered the winner, the loser leaves to look for another place to hunt. If the opponents are equal in height, then a duel begins, which most likely looks like a ritual dance, since the snakes do not harm each other, the winner will be the one who presses the opponent’s head to the ground. Males arrange the same fights not only for the territory, but also for the females.
During the mating period, the male who found the female first takes care of her for a rather long time, after which she allows him to mate. Sexual intercourse lasts more than an hour. After that, the female leaves, and after a month lays eggs. An interesting fact is that the royal cobra, unlike other snakes, takes care of the cubs, it makes a nest and protects the eggs until they harden. In such a period, it is better not to even approach an elephant to a nest. Another interesting fact: the male king cobra has two members.
The royal cobra, the photo with which tourists like to make it so much, is not yet fully understood, there are still a lot of mysteries in its behavior in natural habitats. After all, keeping track of it is almost impossible, it is impossible to determine how far snakes can migrate for their lives. The behavior of research is also complicated by the fact that the forests where the king cobra lives are cut down, and it is forced to migrate to human settlements, as a result of which its habits change. After all, a person changes nature, not thinking about the consequences, but only thinks about his own benefit.