Talk:King Cobra

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[edit] Looking you in the eye...

Lfishel 22:20, 10 January 2007 (UTC) This is an excellent article, but the line about a full grown King being able to look a standing human in the eye is a common myth/misunderstanding. While smaller cobras and young Kings can raise 1/3 or more of their bodies off the ground, that proportion decreases as the snake grows larger. While I've never seen an 18 foot King Cobra in person, I've worked with 15 footers and they cannot rise more than 3 feet without bracing their bodies against something. I HAVE had a King look me in the eye, but it was inside a tall plastic trash can, bracing itself against the rim...

Austin Stevens had a snake look at him about only 2 feet or so, but that was a 14 footer. Frankyboy5 05:49, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

Could you maybe reword that? I'm not sure what you were trying to say. Did you mean the snake stood up 2 feet high, that it was 2 feet away from him or maybe that it stood up 2 feet shorter than he was? If the latter, go watch the video again and pay close attention to the camera angle. The camera was behind the snake and very low. It's a common photographic trick to make something in the foreground look taller/larger than it is. Lfishel 08:27, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

The NG link at the bottom states that it can stand from 3 to 6 feet. I don't doubt your credentials, but I've gotta stand with the NG page. 68.166.66.217 04:34, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Just because something has been published on the National Geographic website does not make it an accurate statement of fact; authors can be lazy too, you know. My impression is that in this case, Lfishel is someone who knows what he's talking about, so I would not be at all surprised if the NG article (which I've seen) is actually incorrect in this respect. On the other hand, as we all know, Wikipedia does not allow the publication of original research, and references are as important to me as anyone else here, but in light of the above I don't think we should not let the text stand as it is without additional research.

Personally, I don't have any really good books on (Asian) elapids, but I did find this quote in John M. Mehrtens' book, Living Snakes of the World (1987):

... Two Philippine specimens personally observed, both in excess of seventeen feet, could only be described as "dramatic" without exaggeration. These cobras reared to a height of over four feet when they felt threatened or were merely curious about some nearby activity. ...

This would appear to corroborate Lfishel's comments. --Jwinius 18:40, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

For what it's worth, I was riding my mountain bike in Thailand a few months back, and rode past a King Cobra that was standing between 4-5 feet off the ground, That's not enough to look me in the eye, but it could for some folks. I didn't have my ruler, but the head was at least a foot above my handlebars.209.189.228.6 07:39, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

Unfortunately, NG's web site seems to be run by the same people who run their TV channel which is well known for hyperbole, and not necessarily for the kind of accuracy and fact checking that the magazine strives for. (The last show they did about the King Cobra features a lovely 3D model of a kings head with ONE venom gland IN THE ROOF OF THE MOUTH). The above reference is probably as close as anyone will come to a source of a refutation, and I highly suspect that Mr. Mehrtens did not, in fact, take a tape measure to these snakes and probably was not within 20 feet of them and so it's likely still an exaggeration. I have access to several large kings, but as stated above, original research is not allowed, and no serious researcher will waste their time testing this because anyone they care to prove it to already knows it's obviously false. And since there are no shortage of (unverified) sources like the NG page repeating what they probably found on another web site... Lfishel 19:57, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. In addition, I'd say this article is rather poorly written anyway: it's badly organized, much of the information in it belongs (or can be found) in articles on higher taxa, and all of its references point to other pages on the web. Unfortunately, a knowledgeable individual has yet to step forward and take responsibility for Wikipedia's collection of articles on elapid snakes. --Jwinius 23:00, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Smarter than other snakes?

We should add something that Kings are smarter than other snakes (that's why it avoids attacking, it is always cautious of its energy and Austin says that the way the snake looks at you is very different from others.) Frankyboy5 05:49, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

In my opinion, this is yet another "legend". I work with Kings and true cobras on a daily-weekly basis, and I see little difference. They stand up, have round pupils and in the case of the King, have scales above their eyes that give the appearance of a brow ridge. All of these things make them LOOK more "human" than most snakes and we naturally perceive animals that look closer to us as being more intelligent. I understand how Austin Stevens feels as that big King stands up and looks striaght at him, but it's an instinctual defensive behavior, not a soul searching stare. They look at their own shadow on the back of the cage or a stick waved in front of them the same way... Lfishel 04:18, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

No, it's not that. The snake actually saw his hand about to touch its head and his head came down. He does get to touch the head, but often, cobras are fooled by concentrating on one of his hands, and he then places his hand on the back of the snake's head, while the snake doesn't notice it at all. Frankyboy5 09:31, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

That wasn't what I was referring to, but again, I actually work with them and sometimes they react to being touched on the back of the head and sometimes they don't. That is true of Kings and of other cobras. There is no noticable difference in this regard either. Lfishel 08:07, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

There is no evidence that Kings are not smarter than other snakes! Frankyboy5 11:49, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

That's true. There's also no evidence that they don't come from outer space. That doesn't mean we should say in the article that they are from outer space until someone proves otherwise, does it? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to require evidence to SUPPORT any statement in the article. In case you did't notice, Austin Stevens is a TV personality. He says all kinds of crazy things to make the show more interesting to the average viewer. I like some of his shows too, but he's not a credible reference. Lfishel 09:22, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, he has been accused (non verifiable sources) of animal abuse and staging his shows. Frankyboy5 07:54, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

He could be bit more gentle sometimes, but I've never seen him do anything I would call abuse. His shows are cetainly "staged" if you want to call it that, but that is true of most animal shows. Very few WILD animals will let a human anywhere near them. Lfishel 20:17, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Their not smarter than certain snakes per se, but there have been stories of King Cobras being just as tamed as a domestic cat or domestic dog. I was watching the discovery channel and it showed a Malaysian person holding a King Cobra without being bitten at all, I mean they were just straight up holding it. Then there was this one story about a woman who was living in India that had a King Cobra as a pet, and it just roamed around the house like a domestic dog, even "cuddling" up to her when she's sleeping. And I'm not bullshitting I think what she says is real, I haven't read this in months, (it was from her diary actually) but I would love to provide you with the link. So King Cobras are not smarter, but they can be "nice", despite the fact that they can kill you. LockDog387 (talk) 22:24, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

No mention of intelligence would be allowed under the policies against speculation and original research. While there are plenty of stories of the King's intellect, the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'. Sadly, there has been precisely 1 study on snake intelligence, which was not in a comparative context, so any claims have no grounding in science (though I would LOVE for someone to change this, alas my training is in biomechanics). I'll keep an eye out for new studies, but until then, this needs to remain confined to the talk page. Mokele (talk) 00:00, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Scientists have said king cobras are the smartest snakes, so let's just mention it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.11.206.109 (talk) 22:13, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

Um...It actually isn't speculation that kings are smarter than other snakes. Its generally agreed that the snake is very intelliegnt and able to build complex nests. I will merely add the word "intelligence" to the "hunting" section, that's it.

Here's a great mention of cobra intelligence:

"King cobras are one of the most intelligent snakes, and our king cobra recognizes different zookeepers. Starfire had a particular fondness for the reptile foreman and interacted well with her, However, the snake disliked one of the other keepers and made his job very difficult." Elasmosaurus (talk) 19:25, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Here's the article about the King Cobra behaving like a domestic pet http://www.kriyayoga.com/angelsoflove/king_cobra.html. After reading that you might think it's fiction, I think it's real. LockDog387 (talk) 11:17, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] citations

to whomever dug up and added several of those needed cites - much appreciated - Metanoid 01:56, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

Can anybody info. about relative ages, how long it can live to? [[User:Shirishag75|Shirishag75]] 04:01, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hooded Image

If possible, could we get an image of a full-grown KC standing with its hood spread? That's obviously how people envision a King Cobra. 68.166.66.217 04:26, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Headline text

[edit] Holy Snakes!

How do you manage to get close to a king cobra and take a picture of one without getting attacked or having the snake flee? It must be hard! Love, Makala Sherman, March 12,2008 well, that's what EOS and that larger-than-my-arm zoom lenses are for. 125.163.84.202 17:37, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Weight

"...King Cobras usually do not exceed 44 lb (20 kg) in bodyweight."

In fact, they don't get even close. The Guinness weight record stands at 12.75 kg (28 lb 1¾ oz) for a 4.39 m (14 ft 5 in) specimen that died in the Bronx Zoo in 1973. The longest was a 5.72 m (18 ft 9 in) specimen that died in the London Zoo in 1939. The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is the largest (=heaviest) venomous snake in the world at up to 15.4 kg (34 lb), although this specimen was only 2.36 m (7 ft 9 in) long.

--Anshelm '77 (talk) 20:28, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

Good enough for me!--Mike Searson (talk) 22:01, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] In Popular Culture

I don't feel quite up to starting this section now, but I think the cobra is such a classic image and symbol in movies, arts, and literature that a list of some of the most well-known uses would enhance the article.

Talk:King Cobra

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[edit] Looking you in the eye...

[edit] Smarter than other snakes?

[edit] citations

[edit] Hooded Image

[edit] Headline text

[edit] Holy Snakes!

[edit] Weight

[edit] In Popular Culture

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