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 recently, king cobras have been increasingly spotted near human settlements, due to massive deforestation, which has led to a reduction in natural habitat. The length of an adult individual is on average three meters, although there have been cases when instances of a length of 5.5 meters came across.
The most interesting fact is that the king cobra is the only snake that only feeds 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 sealed.
Besides this, there are many interesting facts left in the life of a predator in the wild, thanks to which he really is a "royal" cobra.
King cobra babies are born, only 40 centimeters long. But they already have their behavior and the deadly poison of their parents in their blood. After all, the king cobra has a poison that can kill even an elephant. Although, interestingly, she regulatesthe amount of poison injected into the victim. If the female wants to drive the intruder 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 before reaching puberty. Upon reaching puberty, the male or female chooses a territory for hunting. If a stranger invades this territory, then the king cobra rises to its full height, and the rivals face each other, the one who is taller 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 territory, but also for females.
During the mating season, the male who has found the female first courts her for quite some time, after which she allows him to mate. Sexual intercourse lasts more than an hour. After that, the female leaves, and after a month she lays her eggs. An interesting fact is that the king cobra, unlike other snakes, takes care of the cubs, she makes a nest and guards the eggs until they harden. During such a period, it is better not to approach the nest even for an elephant. Another interesting fact: the male king cobra has two penises.
The king cobra, which tourists love to take photos of, is not yet a fully studied species, in itsbehavior in natural habitats, there are still quite a few mysteries. After all, it is almost impossible to keep track of it, and it is impossible to determine how far snakes can migrate in their life. Also, the research behavior is 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 without thinking about the consequences, but only thinks about his own benefit.
