New study has confirm that the iconic king cobra, previously thought to be a single species, is actually a group of four separate species. This revelation ends a mystery that has puzzle scientists for over 188 years.
This new findings mark a significant advancement in the understanding of the world’s longest venomous snake.
For nearly two centuries, the king cobra was believe to be one species, Ophiophagus hannah.
The new findings, publish in the European Journal of Taxonomy on 16th October 2024, claims that scientists began questioning this assumption due to noticeable differences in the snake’s physical characteristics, including colour patterns, across various regions.
In 2021, genetic research uncover distinct genetic lineages among king cobra populations.
This new study, led by Gowri Shankar Pogiri, founder of the Kalinga Foundation and director of the Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology, combine genetic findings with physical traits of museum specimens to identify the four species.
The four newly recognise species include the Northern king cobra (O. hannah), the Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus), the Western Ghats king cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga), and the Luzon king cobra (Ophiophagus salvatana).
The Northern king cobra is find across northern India, Myanmar, and Indochina and the Sunda species is native to the Malay Peninsula and several islands.
The Western Ghats king cobra is exclusive to the Western Ghats in India, and the Luzon king cobra is locate in the northern Philippines.
Researchers also observe unique body patterns and characteristics between these species.
For example, the Sunda king cobra often lacks bands or has narrow pale bands with dark edges and the Western Ghats king cobra features bands without dark borders.
The Luzon king cobra is distinguishable by angular pale body bands.
The discovery of these four species has important implications for antivenom research.
As all king cobra species are venomous, this can lead to more targeted development of antivenoms, tailor to the specific venom of each species in their respective regions.
Scientists, including Pogiri, suggest that there may still be undiscover species, particularly on isolate islands, and studies are ongoing.
