The mystery of the king cobra is solved after 188 years

Research from the specimens identified four new species of king cobras instead of just one as previously.

The king cobra, the world's longest venomous snake, is actually four separate species, according to a new study conducted by scientists from India, Britain, and Malaysia published in the European Journal of Taxonomy on October 16.

For the past 188 years, the king cobra has been represented by a single species, O phiophagus hannah . However, this widely distributed species shows great variation in body color and other morphological features between regions, leading scientists to question whether it is a single species.

The mighty king cobra is actually a group of four species. (Photo: Getty).

In 2021, a study confirmed genetic differences between king cobra populations . Based on this study, scientists compared morphological differences in 153 museum specimens. Analyzing the specimens' body morphology, including color, body width, and tooth characteristics, helped them identify four species that corresponded to the genetic lineages found in the 2021 study.

Four species of king cobras have been identified: 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 ).

1. The northern king cobra ( O. hannah ) is widely distributed throughout the sub-Himalayans, eastern India, Myanmar, and Indochina, extending south to the Isthmus of Kra, the narrowest part of the Thai peninsula. Adults have yellow bands bordered by black and have 18 to 21 teeth.
2. The Sunda king cobra ( O. bungarus ) is found on the Malay Peninsula and the islands of the Greater Sunda Islands, including Sumatra, Borneo, and Java, as well as Mindoro, Philippines. Large individuals of this species are typically bandless or have narrow, pale bands with a black border along the body.
3. The Western Ghats king cobra ( O. kaalinga ) is found only in the Western Ghats of peninsular India. It differs from O. bungarus in that it lacks the black border surrounding the pale bands along its body.
4. Like O. kaalinga , the Luzon king cobra ( O. salvatana ) lives on Luzon, an island in the northern Philippines. It has pale bands on its body that are extremely angular compared to those of the other three species.

All of these species are venomous. The king cobra is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. A single bite can release enough venom to kill a human in just 15 minutes. This research could be the first step in developing more effective antivenom for king cobra bites in the appropriate regions.

There may be many more unknown species of king cobras on the small islands not included in this study, said study author Gowri Shankar Pogiri, founder of the Kalinga Foundation and director of the Kalinga Rainforest Ecology Center. ' Research is ongoing on them ,' he said.