- That is some riveting, though yet to be
authenticated, video of a baby napping
with four king cobras.
- Cobras with enough
neuro-toxins to kill 20 people!
- [Female Announcer] The
king cobra, also known
as ophiophagus hannah,
can be found in the rain
forest in plains of India, Southern China,
and Southeast Asia, with
their coloring varying
from region to region.
They tend to hang out in trees, on land,
and in water.
- [Male Announcer] When
threatened, the king flares
its hood by spreading the ribs in its neck
and emits a growling hiss that hints
at the single bite in
its venomous arsenal,
one that delivers between
200 and 400 milligrams,
enough neurotoxin to take down the central
nervous system of an elephant and kill it
within two hours.
- [Female Announcer] But
let's get to the real
reason why this species
has been crowned king.
It can reach 18 feet or
5.5 meters in length,
making it the longest
of all venomous snakes.
And this length coupled
with its ability to raise
up a third of it's body
means that the king
can come eye-to-eye with its prey.
- [Male Announcer] And if
that's not intimidating enough,
it's able to glide forward while raised
in this noble pose.
The better to flick its tongue out at you
and gather your molecules
inside its mouth,
where its sense organ can assess
whether or not you'd make a nice dinner.
- [Female Announcer] But don't
worry, its favorite meals,
other snakes, along with lizards, eggs,
and small mammals.
The king only attacks
humans when it's cornered,
in self-defense, or to
protect its own eggs.
These are the only snakes in the world
that build nests for their eggs
which they guard fiercely.
- [Male Announcer] In
India and Southeast Asia,
cobras and king cobras are revered
and are at the center
of many sacred rites.
And king cobras are the preferred snake
when it comes to the snake
charmers of South Asia.
- [Female Announcer] According
to National Geographic,
"It's often a sad con
game in which an exhausted
cobra is put on the
defensive, yet conditioned
with pain not to strike the flutist".
- [Male Announcer] The truth
is that, although king cobras
can hear, they can't detect
ambient noises like a flute.
A king's movement are a
response to the visual
cues of the flute and the conditioning by
the snake charmer.
- [Female Announcer]
However, the snake charmer
would like you to think
that he's hypnotized
the cobra and assumed
its prowess for himself.
That's how powerful of a
symbol the king cobra is.
- [Male Announcer]
Making it easy to see why
some of us humans make
sock puppets of our arms
in an effort to throw
the deadly cobra strike,
if only to possess the
confidence of the snake
for a brief moment.
Hey if you enjoyed this video,
be sure to check out these
three videos as well.
- [Female Announcer] And
don't forget to visit
us at stufftoblowyourmind.com.
Kitten here is no King
Kong and these bearded
lizards certainly aren't Godzilla,
but they're less than climactic encounter
underscores some of the major differences
between team warm blood
and team cold blood.
- [Male Announcer] Hey,
this is Robert Lamb
with How Stuff Works, and I'm here at
Zoo Atlanta's new Slimy,
Scaly Spectacular,
their new home for
reptiles and amphibians.
I'm excited.
Let's go see what's happening in there.
That's an encounter between Mowgli
and the giant snake,
Ka, from Zoltan Korda's
1942 adaptation of
Kipling's "The Jungle Book".
- [Female Announcer]
But what's the real life
heavy weight snake champion of the world?
Let's find out.
