INDIA, October 23, 2024 (USA Today): An Indian Forest Service employee this week shared an image showing a large snake pausing in a clearing with its head and neck raised in a classic cobra posture. Although rarely encountered, king cobras are revered in India, where they’re considered the national reptile, as associated with Lord Siva. Parveen Kaswan stated via X: “This beauty. Let’s see who can guess the species.” Responses quickly formed an overwhelming consensus that the snake in question was, as one commenter remarked, “The King himself.” King cobras, which can measure 15-plus feet, are the longest venomous snakes on earth. They inhabit rainforests and plains in northern India, southern China, and Southeast Asia. They’re not typically aggressive toward humans, choosing to escape rather than bite in most cases. But a king cobra bite, if not treated immediately, can kill a person in less than 30 minutes. Kaswan, at the time of this post, had not provided details regarding the sighting.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2024/10/23/king-cobra-india-snake-wildlife/75808169007/

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