The presence of a 4.5-meter king cobra has caused panic among residents in Uttarakhand, northern India.
The incident occurred in Kunkhet village, Ramnagar town, Nainital district, Uttarakhand, India.
The king cobra swallowing another snake in the village.
Images show the king cobra consuming another snake in the village. The deadly predator tightly constricts its victim before slowly swallowing it whole.
According to reports, villagers discovered the king cobra and alerted forest officials. Authorities quickly arrived to rescue the creature.
Officials noted that if one snake is smaller than the king cobra, the larger snake will always consume the smaller one. The rescued king cobra was subsequently released into a nearby forest.
The king cobra is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. When confronted, they can raise up to one-third of their body off the ground and advance to attack. King cobras can grow up to 5.5 meters in length, making them the longest among venomous snakes.
King cobras have a remarkably diverse diet. They are a terror to reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. King cobras are even known to prey on their own kind.
According to a recent assessment, one-third of a king cobra’s diet consists of its own species. However, due to the high risk of injury from attacking prey, evolution has led to a gradual decrease in cannibalism among king cobras. Nonetheless, they remain the most cannibalistic species in nature.
There have been multiple documented instances of snakes using their venom to subdue prey; once the prey is incapacitated, they begin swallowing from the head. They use their jaws to grip, then their spines to squeeze and pull the prey in.
After consuming the prey, the snake often regurgitates digestive fluids to relieve stomach pressure and facilitate digestion.
