King cobra mystery that baffled scientists for 188 years finally solved
The mighty king cobra – the longest venomous snake in the world – is actually four different species, scientists have confirmed in a new study.
For 188 years, the king cobra has been represented by one species, Ophiophagus Anna. But this widely distributed species shows great variation in body color and other physical characteristics across different regions, leading scientists to question whether it is a single species.
In a study published in 2021scientists confirmed that there is genetic variation among king cobra populations. Based on this research, scientists have now compared the physical differences in the museum specimens and identified four distinct species: the Northern king cobra (Yes. No), the thief of the Sunda king (Ophiophagus bungarus), the Western Ghats king cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga) and the king cobra of Luzon (Ophiophagus salvatana). The findings were published on Oct. 16 to European Journal of Taxonomy.
“I feel like we made history,” the study author Gowri Shankar Pogirifounder of the Kalinga Foundation and director of the Kalinga Center for Rainforest Ecology, tell Mongabay.
Related: Snake evolution takes a surprising turn – cobras didn’t come from where we thought they came
King cobras live in humid environments, including open forests and dense mangrove swamps, from northern India to southern China and throughout Southeast Asia. Throughout these regions, their appearance varies in body color, pattern and size.
In a 2021 study, DNA analysis accounted for almost all of the identified king cobra species. four different gene generations. These lineages were designated as confirmed species – species that have yet to be formally described and named.
Based on this research, the new study looked at physical differences among 153 museum specimens. Analysis of the specimens’ body morphology – including color patterns, body diameter and dental characteristics – led the researchers to identify four species that correspond to the genes found in the 2021 study.
The Northern king cobraYes. No) is widespread throughout the sub-Himalayas, eastern India, Myanmar and Indochina, and extends south to the narrow part of the Thai peninsula, the Kra Isthmus.. Adults have dark yellow bands and between 18 and 21 teeth.
The Sunda king cobra (O. bungarus) inhabits the Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sundas islands – including Sumatra, Borneo and Java – as well as Mindoro in the Philippines. Adults of this species are usually not covered or have thin, thin bands with dark sides on the body.
The Western Ghats king cobra (O. Carling) is limited to the Western Ghats of Peninsular India. This type is different from O. bungarus in that it does not have dark edges around the yellow bands on its body.
Like O. Carlingthe lord of Luzon (O. salvtana) lives in Luzon, an island in the north of the Philippines. It has very horizontal body bands compared to the bands of the other three species.
All these species are poisonous. King cobras are one of the the most poisonous snakes in the world and release a large amount of venom with a single bite that can kill a person in about 15 minutes. A new study shares that this could be the first step in creating an improved antivenin from Ophiophagus it bites in their places.
Pogiri believes that there may be other unknown species of cobras yet to be found on small islands that were not part of this research. He said: “The study of them is already in progress.”
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