Breaking 200 years of “prejudice”.

PDI – The most prestigious daily newspaper in the Philippines said that researchers have identified a completely new species of king cobra that is only found in the Philippines (a Southeast Asian country). This species is called the Luzon King Cobra (scientific name: Ophiophagus salvatana).

Notably, the distribution range of this species is limited to the Luzon archipelago in the northern Philippines. This discovery was published by the European Journal of Taxonomy in October 2024.

It is worth mentioning that when scientists had just identified the Luzon king cobra, they were already on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), category: VU (Vulnerable species; or Vulnerable) – meaning they face a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

This latest discovery brings the total number of king cobra species in the world to four. For nearly 200 years, the king cobra has been considered the only species (with scientific name: Ophiophagus hannah). This “prejudice” has been broken with the appearance of three more species of the genus Ophiophagus.

Up to now, with scientific advances, people have clearly identified 4 species of king cobra: Northern king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus), Western Ghats king cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga) and the Luzon king cobra (Ophiophagus salvatana).

Jazz Ong, a herpetologist, explained the physical differences of the Luzon king cobra compared to king cobras in other parts of Asia. That is, the Luzon king cobra possesses pale, very angular bands on both sides (while the other 3 species have darker or non-angular bands).

Distribution range of 4 species of king cobra

King cobra is a common reptile in Asia. This is one of the most iconic snakes in the world, yet it has not been fully studied for nearly a century.

With new efforts, scientists have used morphological data from 153 specimens and recent molecular phylogenetic analysis to identify four distinct king cobra species in the genus Ophiophagus and their distribution range. they.

In addition to DNA analysis, the researchers looked at body bands, body width, anal scales, tooth features, dorsal scale rows, eye rings and other defining characteristics to make an assessment of Surname.

The 4 species of king cobra belonging to the genus Ophiophagus are:

The Northern King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is found only in eastern Pakistan, northern and eastern India, the Andaman Islands, south to central Thailand.

The Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus) inhabits the Sunda Shelf area, including the Malay Peninsula, the Greater Sunda Islands and parts of the southern Philippines.

The Western Ghats king cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga) is endemic to the Western Ghats mountain range (also known as the Sahyadri Mountains) in southwestern India.

The Luzon king cobra (Ophiophagus salvatana) is only found on the Philippine island of Luzon.

The researchers hope that their findings will contribute to the conservation of the king cobra group, which is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable due to its habitat. they are widely threatened.

“In addition to conservation implications, our findings may also have implications for toxicology and snakebite treatment,” they added.

The king cobra is said to be the most common venomous snake in the world. It can secrete a very large amount of venom in one venom injection, from 200 to 500mg of venom. The venom affects the central nervous system, causing blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and paralysis. It then causes collapse of the cardiovascular system and ultimately respiratory failure.

Immediate medical treatment is essential to increase your chances of surviving a king cobra bite. It is said that death can come to a person bitten by a king cobra within 30 minutes, depending on the amount of venom injected during the envenomation process.

In addition, king cobras are known to eat snakes, hence their scientific name Ophiophagus (Greek for snake-eating), and eat almost exclusively other snakes. They are terrestrial and live in dense highland forests, open forests, and grasslands near water bodies. They are the largest venomous snakes in the world, often nearly 5 meters long.

In particular, the king cobra is the only snake that builds a nest for its young. Usually in the spring when female king cobras prepare to lay eggs. King cobras choose a well-drained place to build a nest of leaves and twigs. These nests include walls and shields that protect the eggs.

Reference: Cebudailynews.inquirer, Reptiles Magazine