John David Anderson, age 13, of Franklin Park, New Jersey, for his question:
Does the kind cobra really build a nest?
The king cobra is a venomous snake with a fearsome reputation. When poised to strike with hood extended, without a doubt he appears to be a most fearsome aggressor. However, naturalists suspect that he is a rather peaceable character who would rather keep out of sight. In any case, both the male and female king cobras are excellent parents. Their precious eggs indeed are incubated in a warm nest and both parents stand guard until the newly hatched youngsters are ready to go.
The various cobras, large and small, are warm climate snakes of India and Southeast Asia, parts of China, the Middle East and all but the sandiest stretches of Africa. The king cobra is the largest of all poisonous snakes and may reach a length of 18 feet. By nature, he is said to be a slow, rather lazy character who prefers to dream away his days in the shade of a dense tropical forest.
As far as his snakey relatives are concerned, he is a deadly menace. For the king cobra is a snake eater. And, since snakes are not all that smart, sometimes he regards even a smaller king cobra as a suitable item on his menu. He is a cannibal, though possibly by accident.
Surely, you would think no cannibal can be trusted near the children. But nature, as we know, is full of surprises. It so happens that the king and his mate are the best parents of the entire cobra clan.
After an elaborate courtship, she selects a suitable nesting site, perhaps between the exposed roots of a giant jungle tree. Then she loops her snaky body to drag in piles of leaves and other debris. And, believe it or not, the nest becomes a two story affair. She lays her eggs in the lower chamber, which is completely sealed from the upper chamber where she stays coiled during most of the incubation period.
There are 18 to 20 large brown eggs, speckled all over with darker brown. Incubation takes about two months. During much of this time, when the hungry, irritable female stays coiled above the eggs, the nervous male stays on guard in the nearby shrubbery. This is the time when the mighty king cobras really earn their fearsome reputations,
Suppose a person accidentally walks near that precious nest. If the male is on guard duty, he prepares to strike but sot without warning. With a lot of loud hissing he rears the front one third of his body straight up from the ground. Umbrella type ribs open outward to extend the flaps of skin that form his horrifying hood. If the intruder comes within six feet, he flings himself forward and strikes his deadly bite.
The dutiful parents can depart as soon as the eggs hatch. Their 20 inch youngsters are well able to take care of themselves.
Adult king cobras wear drab olives and browns. The youngsters often arrive wearing fancy bars and chevrons in black and white, yellow or buff. Already they have their cobra venom and know how to use it. In fact, the peppy young king cobras are said to be far more aggressive than their parents.