Discover Why the King Cobra’s Number One Enemy Is the Mongoose

Anytime there is a mention of one of the most venomous snakes in the world, it always catches our attention! Because fights in the wild with venomous snakes are almost unfair. Because we know a venomous snake will have the advantage, especially with the involvement of the king cobra. However, aren’t most wild animal fights considered to be unfair?

Unlike most fights involving the king cobra, the king cobra in this video was not confident he could win this fight against a mongoose. Now, that might shock you just about as much as it did us! So, let’s dive right in to see why the mongoose is that could scare a king cobra into thinking it might not win.

Check Out the Video Below!

The video shown above was taken by the Trans7 Global network in Indonesia. It starts with the king cobra facing off against his enemy: the mongoose. This amazing little mammal only weighs about 0.7-11 pounds and reaches lengths of 1-3 feet long. But, yet, it is enough to scare this king cobra.

The video goes on to share six educational facts that help us to understand how a mongoose could beat a king cobra. Here are those six facts they share:

1. A mongoose is a small, dynamic mammal with a long body and short legs.
2. Humans have long admired mongooses for their ability to kill venomous snakes, including cobras and adders.
3. They’ve evolved resistance to neurotoxic snake venom. 
4. Allowing them to keep fighting even after receiving a bite that would kill most animals their size.
5. They are not immune to venom, but thanks to special mutations in their nervous system …
6. The neurotoxin has difficulty binding to its nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, rendering it less effective.

And as we can see from the video, this great fight is not for the weak of the heart. It is astonishing to see the strength of this little mongoose, and the speed with which it tries to grab the king cobra and get out of its grip. 

While we know that a mongoose will not die from a venom bite, let’s see if we can answer the question of whether a human can survive. 

Can a Human Survive a King Cobra Bite?

King cobras are easily listed as the longest most venomous snake in the world. While there are other venomous snakes, the king cobra is the longest. They come in at 18 feet long! 

This venomous snake can kill a large elephant or 20 people with one single bite. That’s incredible to think that it’s not just one human but 20. So, we can only imagine what it would do to one person!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Jolly Therattil/Shutterstock.com