A study from samples collected by scientists has confirmed that the King Cobra actually consists of four separate species, rather than just one, as previously believed.
The King Cobra, the longest venomous snake in the world, is actually a group of four distinct species, according to new research conducted by scientists from India, the UK, and Malaysia, published in the European Journal of Taxonomy on October 16.
For the past 188 years, the King Cobra was represented by a single species, Ophiophagus hannah. However, this widespread species showed significant differences in body coloration and other morphological traits across regions, leading scientists to question whether it was truly a single species.
In 2021, a study confirmed the genetic differences between the various King Cobra populations. Based on this study, scientists compared morphological differences in 153 museum specimens. By analyzing the body morphology of the specimens, including color, body width, and tooth characteristics, they were able to identify four species corresponding to the genetic lines found in the 2021 study.
The four species of King Cobra identified are: the Northern King Cobra (O. hannah), the Sunda King Cobra (O. bungarus), the Western Ghats King Cobra (O. kaalinga), and the Luzon King Cobra (O. salvatana).
- The Northern King Cobra (O. hannah) is widely distributed across the Lesser Himalayas, eastern India, Myanmar, and Indochina, extending southward to the Kra Isthmus, the narrowest part of the Thai Peninsula. The adult has yellowish bands with black borders and 18 to 21 teeth.
- The Sunda King Cobra (O. bungarus) lives in the Malay Peninsula and the large Sunda Islands, including Sumatra, Borneo, and Java, as well as Mindoro in the Philippines. The larger individuals of this species often lack or have narrow bands, with a pale color bordered by black along the body.
- The Western Ghats King Cobra (O. kaalinga) is found only in the Western Ghats of the Indian Peninsula. This species differs from O. bungarus in that it lacks black borders around its pale bands along the body.
- Similar to O. kaalinga, the Luzon King Cobra (O. salvatana) lives on Luzon, an island in the northern Philippines. It has very angular pale bands compared to the bands of the other three species.
All these species are venomous. The King Cobra is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. A single bite can release a large amount of venom, enough to kill a person within 15 minutes. This study may be the first step toward developing more effective antivenoms for King Cobra bites in their respective regions.
The study's author, Gowri Shankar Pogiri, founder of the Kalinga Foundation and director of the Kalinga Rainforest Ecology Center, stated that there may still be unknown King Cobra species on small islands not covered in this study. “Research on them is ongoing,” he said.
