The Slithering Black King

 

Indistinct bellowing of Sambar deers in the adjacent coffee estate followed by few gunshots to startle them woke me up from my slumber. A lousy morning in a tent amidst the rainforest had a lot to offer. I stood under a tree watching the drops of water caught between the thick bunch of mosses slowly trickling away down the branches. The heady scent of an overripe jackfruit from a nearby tree was intoxicating. Slowly walked away from there and reached a nearby river. 

The composed sound of the flowing water and the monotonous pattering of raindrops on the large leaves of Colacasia were in a rhythm. I sat there mesmerized, listening to mother nature's symphony. The zephyr carried flimsy petals of some delicate flower and dropped them on the water, poor petal was carried away by the swift water against its will. A water apple tree was bent low due to the fruits it bore, somehow reminding me of how everything filled with values being down to earth. A pile of coconut husks some intact some shredded were stacked between bricks to make a temporary extension. I was all agog to relish those river munificence. Nearing the tree slowly, grabbed a few water apples and sat beneath the tree wondering how subtle a fruit can taste while satiating myself with them. A movement between the coconut husks perturbed me. I was scared yet a sense of curiosity bubbled up within me, my intuitive thoughts held me from exploring the movement. A tapering yet a thick, black, polygon-etched tail near the end of the husk was seen, I was calm sensing some snake sneaking between the coconut husks. Little did I know that I was a foot's length away from the world's longest yet venomous snake after witnessing those yellow-honey stripes traversing through the black body. 

Chills down my spine reminding me how little I was in front of the king. "I have come to the forests with a mutual covenant with mother nature that I would never harm anyone in here and likewise" I told this to myself. Praying with pitched heartbeats, witnessed the snake slowly disappear into the nearby dense undergrowth. Thanking the heavens I left the forest.









Picture Courtesy by rekoforest.org


Know more about the Animal:

1) King Cobras are the longest elapids in the world. Elapidae is a family of venomous snakes that are characterized by a set of hollow, fixed fangs through which they inject venom. An adult can reach 15-18 feet making them the longest of all venomous snakes.

2) Their venom is very potent, they deliver 1/10th of an ounce of venom in a single bite. This is enough to kill 20 people or an adult elephant. The venom is a neurotoxin affecting the respiratory centers in the brain, thereby causing respiratory arrest and cardiac failure.

3) These snakes inhabit the rainforests and plains of India, Southern China, and Southeast Asia. They comfortably live in a variety of habitats including bamboo thickets, high-elevation grasslands, and riverine areas.

4) King Cobras are the only snakes known to build nests for their eggs. The female guards the nest for about 90- 115 days, she doesn't eat anything during this time period. The nest is a huge pile of dry leaves and debris. Once the egg hatches she moves away silently. A high sense of cannibalism is found in this snake group.


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