Ophiophagus kaalinga explained

Ophiophagus kaalinga, the Western Ghats king cobra, is a species of King cobra endemic to the Western Ghats of south-western India.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Description

Ophiophagus kaalinga is characterized by pale bands without darker edges on adult snakes, unlike the unbanded O. salvatana and the banded O. hannah, which has dark edges. Additionally, O. kaalinga has fewer pterygoid teeth (12) compared to O. hannah (18–21). Juvenile O. kaalinga also has 28–48 fewer body bands than O. salvatana.

Etymology

The specific epithet kaalinga comes from the Kannada language of Karnataka, India, meaning "dark" or "black" (from 'Kali' [ಕಾಳಿ] or 'Kari' [ಕರಿ]). It is an abbreviated form of "Kaalinga Havu," which is associated with Lord Shiva.

Distribution and Ecology

Ophiophagus kaalinga is endemic to the Western Ghats in southwestern India, found in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and parts of Maharashtra. Its range extends from the Ashambu hills near Kanyakumari through various mountain ranges, including the Agasthyamalai and Cardamom hills, reaching elevations of about 100 m to 1800 m above sea level. The species is hill-dwelling and thrives in mid-elevation rainforests (500–900 m) but can also be found in lower foothills and montane forests.

Conservation

As a member of the king cobra family, the Western Ghats king cobra is also considered as "vulnerable" under the IUCN Red List.

Notes and References

  1. Taxonomic revision of the king cobra Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836) species complex (Reptilia: Serpentes: Elapidae), with the description of two new species . European Journal of Taxonomy . 2024. 1–51. 10.5852/ejt.2024.961.2681. Das. Indraneil. Gowri Shankar. P.. Swamy. Priyanka. Williams. Rhiannon C.. Lalremsanga. Hmar Tlawmte. Prashanth. P.. Sahoo. Gunanidhi. Vijayakumar. S.P.. Höglund. Jacob. Shanker. Kartik. Dutta. Sushil K.. Ganesh. S.R.. Wüster. Wolfgang. 961. free.
  2. Web site: Dasgupta . Shreya . 2024-10-21 . Four of a kind: King cobra is a quad of species, not one, study finds . 2024-10-23 . Mongabay Environmental News . en-US.
  3. Web site: Ghai . Rajat . 2024-10-18 . Long live the King Cobra(s): Scientists recategorise world’s longest venomous snakes into 4 distinct species, with one from the Western Ghats . 2024-10-23 . Down To Earth . en.
  4. Web site: Pflughoeft . Aspen . Venomous 10-foot-long snake found in hills of India and discovered as new species . 2024-10-23 . www.msn.com.
  5. Web site: Hestermann . Bethanie . 2024-10-18 . Scientists Discover New Large, 'Dangerously Venomous' Snakes . 2024-10-23 . Outdoors with Bear Grylls . en-US.
  6. Web site: Hestermann . Bethanie . 2024-10-22 . New king cobra species in Luzon identified . 2024-10-23 . GMA News Online . en.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ophiophagus kaalinga".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.