Which snake is more formidable and has stronger venom, the king cobra or the five-paced snake?
The king cobra is also called the “king cobra,” but unlike true cobras, it is not classified as a cobra; instead it belongs to the independent genus Ophiophagus. Compared with other cobras, it has a fiercer temperament, reacts with extreme agility, and has stronger venom. So which snake is more formidable, the king cobra or the five-paced snake? How strong is its venom?
1. Which is more formidable, the king cobra or the five-paced snake
The king cobra is more formidable than the five-paced snake. The scientific name of the five-paced snake is Deinagkistrodon acutus (sharp-nosed pit viper). In terms of venom potency alone, the five-paced snake is more venomous than the king cobra, but in terms of body size and venom yield, the five-paced snake is far inferior. Moreover, the king cobra's main food is other snakes, including cobras, banded kraits, many-banded kraits, rat snakes and so on. It has anti-venom serum in its body, so when bitten by other venomous snakes it usually remains unharmed. When food is insufficient, it will even eat other members of its own kind, which is why the king cobra is also called the “scourge of snakes.”
2. How does the king cobra hunt
The king cobra is a highly intelligent snake. It hunts other snakes and can tell whether the other is venomous. When preying on non-venomous snakes, it does not easily use its venom; it will simply bite and hold on, letting the prey struggle and resist until it dies, then slowly swallow it. When preying on venomous snakes, it does not act rashly; instead it keeps provoking them. When the opponent is finally enraged and attacks it, it nimbly dodges. Finally, when the prey is exhausted and has no will to fight, it seizes the opportunity, bites the prey's head and neck in one bite, and releases venom to kill it.
3. How strong is the king cobra's venom
The king cobra's venom mainly contains neurotoxins and also cardiotoxins. A single bite can inject an average of 200 to 500 mg of venom, and the maximum venom secretion can reach as much as 7 ml. A bitten person often needs a large amount of antivenom serum to counteract the snake venom. It is even said that the venom the king cobra can inject in one bite can kill an adult Asian elephant within 3 hours. According to the clinical toxicology department of the University of Adelaide, the fatality rate after being bitten by a king cobra is about 60%.
4. How strong is the five-paced snake's venom
In the early stage after a five-paced snake bite, blisters of varying sizes appear on the affected limb. The more and larger the blisters, the more severe the poisoning. Subsequently, severe ulceration appears centered on the bite wound. Many people who are bitten by a five-paced snake end up disabled. In other words, a five-paced snake bite is very serious; even if the victim does not die, most will end up with a disability. A cobra bite will cause severe neurotoxic symptoms, and can also cause blood-circulation-toxin-type muscle dissolution. Especially with a bite from the Bengal cobra, large-area ulceration occurs, though the ulceration is less than that from a five-paced snake.
The above is the introduction by Tuliu.com on the venom of the king cobra and the five-paced snake. Both the five-paced snake and the cobra are among China's ten most highly venomous snakes. The cobra is a mixed-venom snake, but mainly neurotoxic, while the five-paced snake is a highly venomous blood-circulation-toxin snake and is the representative snake of the blood-circulation-toxin type. Bites from both of these snakes will produce serious consequences.