Here at Wild Animal News we keep finding more examples of the way advances in DNA and other genetic testing are overturning long-held beliefs about relationships between members of anima families. Felines have undergone numerous family realignments. Now it is the king cobra’s turn. King cobra genetics studies have now split the species into four.
Of course you could say there is no such thing as a king cobra. That snake (Ophiophagus hannah) is not a true cobra of the Naja family. Despite many similarities it has been distinct enough to be recognized as a member of a separate family. Now, more sophisticated studies of king cobra genetics show there are actually four separate species.
According to IFL Science the reclassification of king cobras upends 188 years of science. Previously the snakes had been though to be one highly variable species. The snake can reach 19 feet in length. It generally eats other snakes although it will consume other prey including some reptiles and rodents. The snake inhabits much of asia, including some islands and archipelagos including the Philippines.
The research paper on which the realignment is based was published in the Word Journal of Taxonomy.
So what caused researchers to divide the king cobra into four species? The research was published in the European Journal of Taxonomy.
“I feel like we created history,” study lead researcher P. Gowri Shankar told Mongabay.
“In 2021, Gowri Shankar and colleagues discovered that there was genetic variation across four distinct populations of king cobras throughout their range. Now, the new study has found differences both in the snakes physically, and in banding patterns found on the snakes’ scales. Looking at 153 specimens, including five skeletal specimens, the team performed morphological and genetic analyses.” (Link in original)
“The four species have been named the Northern king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus), Western Ghats king cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga) – found unsurprisingly in the Western Ghats of the Indian peninsula – and the Luzon king cobra (Ophiophagus salvatana), found only on the island of Luzon in the northern Philippines.”
At least two major benefits have been identified from the reconsideration of king cobra genetics. First, the reclassification should help make conservation efforts more effective by directing efforts to most threatened snakes. Second, the recognition of four species should allow medical researchers to improve antivennins.
In addition to new king cobra genetics findings, scientists have also discovered entirely new species of snakes. Researchers found five entirely new snail eaters. The snakes have adaptions that allow them to pry snails out of their shells. Meanwhile, the spread of snakes as invasive species is also a major concern. Florida is battling Burmese pythons. However, a number of lethal creatures may also be poised to take hold in the state. Three crocodilians and two constrictor snakes are on the list. In addition, black mambas (Dendroapsis polylepis) and king cobras themselves may be on the verge of establishing breeding populations in the Sunshine State.