No mistaking fabled 'king' after close encounter in India

An Indian Forest Service worker this week shared an image showing a ample snake pausing successful a clearing pinch its caput and cervix raised successful a classical cobra posture.

Parveen Kaswan stated via X: “This beauty. Let’s spot who tin conjecture nan species.”

Responses quickly formed an overwhelming statement that nan snake successful mobility was, arsenic 1 commenter remarked, “The King himself.”

King cobras, which tin measurement 15-plus feet, are nan longest venomous snakes connected earth. They inhabit rainforests and plains successful bluish India, confederate China, and Southeast Asia.

(Click present to position Kaswan’s station connected X.)

Although seldom encountered, king cobras are revered successful India, wherever they’re considered nan nationalist reptile.

They’re not typically fierce toward humans, choosing to flight alternatively than wound successful astir cases. But a king cobra bite, if not treated immediately, tin termination a personification successful little than 30 minutes.

Kaswan, astatine nan clip of this post, had not provided specifications regarding nan sighting. Nor had he responded to comments beneath his X post.

One follower, referring to a recent study that suggests location are 4 types of king cobras successful India, commented:

“It’s now established arsenic 4 different type successful different ranges. Assuming this is successful bluish India, it’s Ophiophagus hannah. If it were from nan Western Ghats, it’d beryllium Ophiophagus kaalinga, based connected nan caller classification.”

Another follower observed: “The Most Mythical of Serpents. The One who Straddles Terrestrial Earth & Heavenly Divinity.The Companion to Lord Shiva. Worshipped & Feared successful adjacent measurement by Man.”

A man claiming to beryllium a expert remarked, “We are not near pinch overmuch to do erstwhile a diligent is brought to america aft it has bitten them.”

Another follower stated that beauty is successful nan oculus of nan beholder, directing his remark to Kaswan: “Sir, you telephone each snake a beauty, but for a communal man, it’s scary.”