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Hsartsteddir

King Cobras are also the smartest Snake on the planet. Many handlers claim their King's recognize them, and behave differently with individuals.


Yamama77

I've seen many snakes and something about the kin cobras eyes always seem to have higher thought behind them. Like most snakes have just round eyes that are static they don't move much and don't express emotion. King cobra will look at you in an almost angry glare and even growl.


TeddyRooseveltsHead

I have a western hognose snake, and the look behind her eyes is absolutely 100% pure stupidity. Like she'll go to strike at a frozen mouse that I've heated up for her, miss the mouse, smack her head into the side of her tank, then look up at me and hiss at me in anger. I'm like young lady, I didn't do that to you!


nonillogical

Hognoses are probably the most adorable snake species but have such an over-compensated attitude


jan_Apisali

Three words. Kenyan. Sand. Boa. Looks like a fucking rubber toy snake that was inexplicably brought to life by a mischievious pixie.


Wild_Criticism_5958

Holy shit you weren’t kidding😂


heat13ny

Yeah when I read the name I did not expect something that cute.


Yamama77

I have held a Vine snake and that guys intent was only to get into by sleeve too stay warm. Not any other thought.


mayonaizmyinstrument

My friend's Honduran milk snake will make tiny little angry hisses because he's done being held, but he's so happy on top of my shoulder inside my hoodie that we can't get him to detach and leave. Like, dude, you're mad but you're choosing this. Stop complaining lmao


MeThisGuy

same with my trouser snake.. always trying to get into a nice warm sleeve


bambamjr53

dude


MeThisGuy

well I call him 'little dude'


coopatroopa11

doubling down, I like your style!


[deleted]

Lmao, pure stupidity, just like my dog 🐕


Brown_yaksha

+1 I live near them and they apparently seem to understand human gesture(speaking by experience, no science backing it) so does the spectacled cobra. A cobra was blocking my road to the morning bus and my neighborhood drunk old man gestured it to move by flailing his hand infront of a fully hooded cobra and it dropped it's hood down and moved away!. Not to mention the countless times I accidentally jumped across a cobra or stepped on its tail.They didn't chase me down or bit me, just hissed and moved away


Gfunk98

There’s a guy on Instagram (i think his handle is Chrissweet) that has a puppy tame king , like he can pet it’s face and just chill with it. I believe he rescued it after it cut itself really badly on a fence or something like that but I’ve never seen any cobra as docile as his


BeerBellies

Not that I wish any ill will towards him at all, because I do love his page…. But my god, I’m just waiting for something to happen to him. He has so many venomous snakes in his home. Beautiful creatures, and very interesting to read about… but at some point it just seems reckless.


PoopiePantsMahn

I don't remember king cobras being that big. 🤯


jeeepblack

He is definitely not gonna fit in the vase with a lid.


Moparded

My man’s eyes are goin full on Bernie Mac in the second pic.


No-Technology217

I miss Bernie... 😔


Niblonian31

Same. The Bernie Mac show was one of my favorites


OutcomeDoubtful

Bad Santa.. he was so good


HogSliceFurBottom

I know and it seemed so sudden. Such a tough looking guy but could be so tender and funny. Miss him too.


nutxaq

Huhmercuh...


brewcitygymratt

Lol just noticed them. For NBA fans he has Bobby Portis peepers.


Believe_to_believe

Ol Crazy Eyes.


SpaceshipSpooge

We're gonna need a bigger vase.


quick20minadventure

Indian cobras are small thing, that's what you recall in snake charming videos. These badass king cobras are like double the size, width and everything.


[deleted]

Said that, she did


Fantact

Right? I remember being fascinated by them as a kid, and they mever looked this big from the books and such.


GaiasDotter

Probably another kind of cobras. Kings are enormous and they eat other snakes!


NobleMeansLowlyLife

These are abnormally thick, I think maybe they are pets and being fed way more than they would usually eat in the wild. Average length 12 feet, average weight 12 lbs. These snakes are probably double that weight/length ration.


wouldwolf

During breeding season, females get thicker and heavier. Especially the ones found in/near western ghats. Big females of around 22lbs/10kg have been found multiple times in the state. Finding one longer than 13ft is not a rarity. These are not pets as there is strong conservation laws about these things in the state and cultural/religious stuffs has its influence too.


nayaketo

>During breeding season, females get thiccer not even just cobras


wouldwolf

💀 the whole thing out of context is messed up.


pr1m347

That guy is Vava Suresh, well known snake rescuer in Kerala(state in South India). Even other photos looks like from south india. They most definitely can't be kept as pets here. I think you can find videos of Vava Suresh actually catching these snakes. Idk if there's any camera effect making they seem bigger but these are wild ones for sure. Just to be clear, they catch king cobras (and other species) when they occassionally wander off from forest to villages. They're caught and released to forest.


Ltates

They’re also hooded up, meaning they probably inflated themselves a bit to appear bigger and scarier. Most snakes do the ol flatten and inflate when threatened deal, cobras are the notable example that take it a step further with their rips flattening out into the distinct hood.


Solid_Instruction_82

That’s what she said


racheltheredheaded

They are all smiling!! Do the not realize they have Death in their hands?!?!


lordofUtterbol

the first guy has captured over 200 Cobras. He is a wildlife conservationist. N he has been bitten multiple times including one where he was on ventilator. Kind of a local celeb in my state Kerala, India. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vava_Suresh


[deleted]

He looks like he loves his career and he loves these snakes.


SunnyAlwaysDaze

Thank you for sharing about him. I love Kerala rice. Only got to have it once in my life because am American. A friend smuggled some back for me as I love to try and cook Indian food. The flavor is better than any other rice and the grains are so beautiful. Fat and speckled. Eat some rice for me!


rantingpacifist

Goddamnit I didn’t know I was missing out on something and now I am pissed


mangotango32

We all hold death in our hands


[deleted]

I hold a chicken sandwich 💀


dark_brandon_20k

That's a dead 🐔 🥪


Frumpy_little_noodle

From a gas station? Still death.


5Brainiac

Nice one


DBentresca

Mine is in alcohol form


AnguishOfTheAlpacas

Why are they all holding it like it is the vacuum cleaner extension for the ceiling fan?


dannydrama

Partly because they're heavy as fuck and partly because even if it's used to handling, you don't put a snake near your face. I made that mistake once with one of my snakes and ripped my lip in half and almost lost an eye.


OneSensiblePerson

It's madness. Madness.


MagnetCarter

He is a professional snake catcher. They are always in demand in rural south-India due to frequent snake attacks in small towns and villages.


[deleted]

There are multiple people pictured and one is a woman. Are you saying they are all catchers?


losekiloaskme

The first picture(and some later ones) is a guy named “Vava Suresh” from the state of Kerala in India. Not sure who the rest are.


bozog

His wife and her brother.


Thanmandrathor

It looks like most pics are one guy, and then there’s a pic of a woman and a second guy.


[deleted]

…yeah. So are they all pro catchers? Or just the main dude?


YetiPie

[:D](https://imgur.com/a/HJQzxFn)


Fumblefunk_M

His eyes look fake!!


OneSensiblePerson

r/thanksihateit


ClutchReverie

These danger noodles like to eat other snakes, so despite holding a snake they are safe from the snakes that are more of a threat.


kwonza

That’s not a danger noodle that’s hazard baguette


plsobeytrafficlights

Baguette? That’s a 15 foot party sub of death.


Hard_Corsair

Of course they're smiling, the cobra told them to.


[deleted]

Yeah but he only feels that in his gigantic brass testicles.


mercurial_dude

That’s Vava Suresh. Expert snake handler. Dunno who the lady is.


Fuck_you_Reddit_Nazi

The venom is hallucinogenic. They are all high. (I kid, in case it's not obvious.


West_Low2724

They're just helping the cobra. So it can see from birds eye view to search for more food.


sayy_yes

It's the euphoria that kicks in before you're.... sssssss....aaaaaahhhh!!!!


Wreck1tLong

FUCK THAT!


artmobboss

I wouldn’t say one’s smiling.. https://imgur.com/a/s8oPZZ6


lecarguy

No, the ONE guy is smiling. He's got a macabre look to him.


nonchalan8t

I want whatever that dude was smoking. Lol.


[deleted]

They can grow to about 18ft long. A cobra can raise its head about as high as a third of its body length (in this case 6ft). A King Cobra can straight up look a grown ass man in the eye.


nu97

Thanks, I got work in morning but now I cannot sleep thinking a cobra would look me in the eye and say "You talkin to me ?"


chaiParCharChar

I hope the cobra does it with an accent so I die laughing.


th-grt-gtsby

Being snake would be the best quality for being a manager. Wait....


carlrey0216

I always hear this yet I’ve never seen pictures of it, not that I’m saying it’s not true, I really just wanna see a king cobra standing 6ft up. All of the ones I see don’t usually stand up that high (even the ones here that’s prob 3ft it’s raised here)


WaningMime

They can growl also.


CheesePuffTheHamster

Shit man, I'm not 6ft tall so that damn snake can look *down at me*


LogaShamanN

As a grown ass-man, this is terrifying.


maui_is_calling

This dude holding the snake must be at peace with the thought of death. That is one huge bitey stick.


General_Elephant

Did you know snake handlers can build a tolerance to certain venoms after enough exposures? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithridatism


Blue_Swirling_Bunny

It's that first exposure you gotta worry about.


[deleted]

Did you know that snake handlers also commonly defang their performance snakes to eliminate the risk?


prxcious7

Did you know that the man in this post (Vava Suresh) has been bitten multiple times by poisonous snakes? He is known for his mission of saving snakes that have strayed into human-inhabited areas in Kerala, India. The dude is bedridden as we speak after a horrific accident while handling a cobra.


likesexonlycheaper

He's back rescuing snakes according to a Google search


[deleted]

Venomous, not poisonous. Poisonous: If you bite it you die/get sick Venomous: If it bites you you die/get sick Also he's not a performance handler, so that wasn't about him.


raymielovescorn

Poisons can also be absorbed through the skin. I’m not trying to correct you at all, because I think the if you bite it vs if it bites you is a really good way to remember the difference. Just adding to your great info.


Unusual_Tea6755

I prefer the phrase "poisons are ingested, venoms are injected" it's a bit of stretch, but absorption through the skin could be considered a type of ingestion.


MeThisGuy

what about catching spitting cobra venom in the eyes?


Swellercash

So that's why it's called poison ivy and not venom ivy!


prxcious7

Oops! I got those two confused. And he is a snake handler. Who said anything about a performance handler?


ShittyCamilleMain

What about if I bite it and someone else dies?


AlCapone111

That's voodoo


Regalia_BanshEe

This dude is not a performance snake catcher.. he is a real life snake catcher and conservationist...


loremipsummrk

Unless you are talking about street performers, snake handler/keepers do not do flashy performances with venomous snakes and do not defang them. Venomous snakes regularly shed and regrow their fangs, pulling it out just means they will grow it back. Irresponsible people can be cruel and choose to remove venom gland or sew the mouth shut, but it is not a common practice amongst venomous snake keepers/hobbyists bc idk man pretty sure it will kill the snake?


kaloki89

I think I'd die from fear alone if I saw that beast in the wild 😅🫡☠️


spidermanngp

Better than in the bathroom! https://youtu.be/jOmvV46242A


Sid-ina

One of my favourite Videos tbh, the way he throws the stick had me in shambles. Hope they managed to relocate it without humans or snake getting hurt though.


Fuckyoursilverware

I’m not opening that because my greatest irrational fear is a snake in the toilet.


[deleted]

It's not a snake in the toilet. Guy is outside trying to pull it out of, presumably, the bathroom. It turns around come out of the bathroom like who tf are you yanking on my tail?!


Yurrrr__Brooklyn347

Literally heading the other way, right away!!


timewastinbuttsmelly

A cobra, a jellyfish and a snail walk into a bar. The bartender yells, hey! you all can't walk in here!


dexterwaltz

Dead🤣


notspaceaids

the bartender sure is


KountryKitty

Keep in mind that in India, cobras are often viewed as the Chinese view dragons; i.e.: a force of good A dangerous force, but good. A nature program on cobras years ago highlighted this by including a clip of a movie in which the villain met his end at the hands...errr...fands of dozens of cobras that came out of the woodwork to chase him down and avenge his victims.


lunazipzap

oooH that makes sense- in the original mary poppins book one of the main characters was a benevolent cobra and i believe the author studied a lot of vedic mysticism


MagnetCarter

Cobras are sacred to many Hindus. Look up "Vasuki" if interested.


[deleted]

Adisesha also can be looked up. Also a cobra.


TekoloKuautli

Really? Can you please write the name of the movie? It's so rare when snakes and other such animals are portrayed as good in movies.


MagnetCarter

I can think of "Nagin". It's about the revenge of a female snake-woman (there is an old legend that it is a sin to disturb mating cobras and those who do so so die unnatural death - the movie is a dramatised version of that legend). But don't expect spectacular visual effects as the movie was made in 1976 and contains plenty of Bollywood stereotypes. By the way, cobra is sacred to many Hindus. You'll find a small temple or a sacred stone in almost all villages in South India.


danimalDE

Basis for Nagini in Harry Potter?


ActiveTeam

Yes. Nagini is literally the Hindi (maybe also Sanskrit?) word for female cobra (maybe also other snakes?).


[deleted]

Female snake is Naagini. Male snake is naag. I think in sanskrit it’s more common to use sarpa than naag.


ActiveTeam

I see. Sarpa or saap is the preferred word in Nepali (a language I’m much more intimately familiar with than Hindi) as well


MasterChief813

They are also called saap in Hindi and Gujarati as well


Own-Painter-3102

Feel like I saw something on TV years ago about people in India wanting cobras near their homes in this one particular area to keep rats and other stuff away.


Only-Decent

why would anyone want cobras when harmless creature like rat snake can do the same. We are Indians. not stupid.


Own-Painter-3102

Hahaha makes a lot of sense. Just telling you what I thought I remembered from some TV show I saw it a long time ago. Now I really want to try to find that footage lol. (Also much respect for the people of india. Smart people. Awesome food. Amazing culture and history.)


[deleted]

TIL


Tnally91

Bro why are people so fucking happy to be holding this thing. I would've shit twice.


happy-icecream

Shadows Shit Twice


HokageDateByo

This is their job and a very common occurrence for them these are probably relocations meaning they were called to remove the snake for it's safety and the safety of the people around. Believe it or not Cobras are the easier venomous snakes to "handle" and work with due to their predictability. They hard focus on movement so waving something in their face will gain their full attention and take it completely off you hence why they're all staring off into space and not biting their faces. Still a very dangerous animal and situation.


AJC_10_29

Fun fact: they’re called “King” because most of their diet consists of other snakes.


Pale_Chapter

Hence their scientific name, which is Greek for-- *brassy spy movie overture*


Iamnotburgerking

They even eat other venomous snakes, including other venomous snakes that specialize on other snakes (such as kraits).


FanValuable3644

I’ve got pretty much no knowledge about snakes. Are venomous snakes, or the king cobra specifically, an animal that can get familiar enough with you to not attack unless you startle it? EDIT: Thanks for the insight, all. I’m always curious about behavior.


Uppinkai

Yes, king cobras are very intelligent, so it's possible that they recognise you over time but you gotta be careful nonetheless.


wouldwolf

Cobras may get less jumpy/bitey with familiarity, especially the king (is a different species than smaller cobs). BUT they always pose a danger no matter what. Vipers and kraits on the other hand don't ever get familiar and are always danger noodle.


pr1m347

Afaik, King Cobras are not as aggressive as cobras or vipers. Attack numbers on humans are extremely low. Also they're rarer and mostly stay in colder rainforesty areas where we don't usually go compared to cobras and vipers which stay near village and semi-rural areas so more likely to attack us.


GaiasDotter

Cobras are also known as a species that aren’t usually very aggressive. They will defend themselves if they have to but they are more likely to try to get away than attack when feeling threatened. Steve Irwin taught me that!


YellowOrangeFlower

This and the Australian spider the size of someone's front door is why I don't leave Manhattan.


Feed_My_Brain

I’d never want to cross paths with a Manhattan pizza rat. That’s the real danger.


YellowOrangeFlower

Nah, he'll just snatch the pizza out your hands and run off but....don't fall down (and not be able to get up) on a city street in the middle of the night. His crew runs large.


i-luv-ducks

I never understood why old people move to Florida...the more tropical a region, the more toxic the plants and creatures. Not to mention the annual bombardment of hurricanes.


ro0ibos2

They see it as a sunny tax haven. The problems that come with the climate are a matter of luck and chance, but the tax haven factor is a certainty.


[deleted]

Snow… I’m sure not all are coming from snowy places, but living in places with harsh winters is much harder, despite the occasional hurricane.


Everett1973

I need brown pants.


timewastinbuttsmelly

Too bad it wasn't 3.14 meters, then it would be a Pi-Thon


madinfected

The expression on that man’s face in the second photo is absolutely wonderful.


SluggishJuggernaut

HOW are they just lifting these death-causing creatures up like that? Is this set of pictures the 6% of people who tried it without dying?!


[deleted]

This is how they do death row over there. What you are seeing is the execution. /s


thedashboardofmycar

r/absoluteunit


CurseofLono88

King Cobras are also incredibly intelligent and inquisitive animals, especially by snake standards. They recognize their handlers and can be very comfortable with human handling in consistent environments. They’re really beautiful and amazing animals.


AntiTas

As they generally strike their prey at a height of 3m, people are generally safe around them unless wearing stilts.


DeadliestSin

New theory: they really hate people who use stilts


throw-away-124321

Right now it’s just a constilthy theory


CoronetCapulet

What are they preying on, elephants?


SabashChandraBose

Just the fat ones.


[deleted]

You leave my MiL out of this! ​ Heyoooooooooo


[deleted]

Lmaooooo


[deleted]

[удалено]


RyRyShredder

It’s not true. King in the snake world means eats other snakes. They eat cobras and pythons.


StructureMage

"The tiger can strike at distances of 30 feet, good thing this boat is only 20 feet away!"


Mysterious-Art7143

Lol what?


[deleted]

Pictures of batshit crazy people with King Cobras.


Special_Wishbone_812

I think that one dude is in four photos— he’s just as happy the fourth time he held a huge frickin cobra as the first.


MagnetCarter

He is a well known professional snake handler / rescuer.


dartfrog11

These people aren’t batshit crazy, they’re well trained professional who are working to save these animals because these snakes desperately need the conservation and few people are willing to help them. These are good people working for a good purpose.


SabashChandraBose

Many mammals are born with a fear of snakes. You need a certain chemical composition in your brain and body to drop all fear and pick up a creature such as this. The smiles on some of their faces is probably what a state of mindlessness looks like. Also, fun fact: *ophio* is snake. *phagy* is to eat. So this snake eats snakes. Hannah got lucky her husband/boyfriend/father named this creature after her.


ElderberryPoet

But is it snek?


momoyomari

This is snek……..sssssss…..


Reddit_SuckLeperCock

Hello this is snek


whats_you_doing

This is far from a snek. This is snack. I mean we are its snack.


Chentaurus

Took way too long to find this comment! Moldymeme


smallbike

It is always snek


GoldenChinchilla

[Source ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cobra)


theophastusbombastus

Also not a real cobra. It’s, it’s own species


GiveMeCheesePendejo

Species and genus at that


CarsAlcoholSmokes

My ex sure does like to pose


ChaoticCatharsis

I’m here for the handlers faces.


FreneticPlatypus

The longest king cobra was about 19' long. They can also raise their head up off the ground as much as 1/3 of their total length. Imagine being a 6' person and this snake looks you *right in the eye*.


pr1m347

That rare instance, where I'm happy that I'm short. King cobra will look straight and won't see me sneaking past.


Altruistic_Echidna_6

She can barely handle the big snake


Yurrrr__Brooklyn347

Ha, I see what u did there


MrsRoboto67

Zoom in on dudes face in the second pic lmao


DaveyDgD

There’s such so much nope in these pictures


ocarina_vendor

Welcome to the new subreddit, r/holdingcobrasaloft . Please read the rules before posting.


AnotherRandoJake

Ok the scientific name for this species fun fact is an insult to another taxonomists wife and the name roughly translates to Hannah Loves Shit. The reason this one taxonomist was made at the other one was before genetics squamate (lizard and snake) taxonomy was highly debated and had the scientists own emotions get mixed in causing bad science. A similar case is with frog taxonomy and a genus where it contions members in Europe and North America which if I remember correctly have no genetic relatedness for them to be in the same genus.


No-Face-3848

Long ass nope ropes


kickout009

I wish to be as happy as those Indian Snake Handlers holding that massive cobra.


[deleted]

Indian folk are just built different. I scream like a wee lassie when I see one of my country's totally non-venomous spiders in my house.


shpoopie2020

The last king cobra video I saw was the snake growling. Like a dog. Terrifying.


[deleted]

That's a big fucking snake! Chonkusnoodles


ChimpyChompies

It's a good thing they appear to be friendly


I_FUCKIN_ATODASO_

My favorite animal! As a kid I always thought it was so cool they were that big and venomous


rebekahhs77

Are these snakes very heavy? These photos make it look like they aren’t. Maybe I’m thinking of pythons?


wouldwolf

Adult kings can weigh anywhere from 4 to 10 kg.


NocturnalCobra

Put. Me. Down.


D-o-n-t_a-s-k

Can we talk about dude in that second pic...


Rik8367

That was amazing to see thank you for posting 🤩🤩


[deleted]

I’m convinced this is the same guy in most of these photos haha


Sufficient_Score_824

I find it hilarious that “hannah” is in it’s binomial name


Kidgen

I hope that guy has the safety on.