Halfway through encountering a king cobra, what was your first reaction?
On April 25, an old uncle in Nanning, Guangxi Province, met a king cobra, and the whole process was scary and funny! First a wave of negative teaching materials, after being bitten, he luckily retrieved a life with two moves.
The narrow road meets the brave to win
Qin Laobo was over seventy years old, and on the same day he rode an electric car on the way home when he saw a snake crawling out of the side of the road. The snake also noticed that Old Uncle Qin was not far ahead, so he stood up straight and faced Old Uncle and stopped moving.
Because of seeing snakes in the mountains all year round, the old man saw the posture of the snake and knew that it was a king cobra. According to Qin Laobo, the snake is about two meters long and has a generally thick arm. However, the size and fierce name of the king cobra did not make the old man back half a step, because he would arrive home a few hundred meters away.
After a moment of confrontation, Old Uncle Qin also understood that this snake had no intention of letting go of the road at all. In fact, the king cobra is also very aggrieved at this moment, because the location where the old man stays is the only way for it to pass (this point will be discussed in more detail later). However, Lao Bo's next move allowed him to step into the ghost gate.
The Great War is on the verge of breaking out
Seeing that the snake did not move, Old Uncle Qin got out of the car, and the person retreated backwards, and the car was still parked in place. The old man returned not long after, with an extra stone in his hand.
(Because the snake does not go, the old man threw a stone to scare the snake)
Round 1 – Snake wins
The old man took the lead and struck a long-range attack. According to the old man, he smashed the king cobra (I don't know how the old man judged it, maybe he broke the skin or saw blood). The king cobra was instantly enraged and rushed towards the old man. The old man raised his legs and rushed into the cornfield by the side of the road. Just a few steps away, I stumbled on something, fell the ground, and then felt a tightness in the lower part of my thigh. The cobra king was about to leave at a touch, and when the old man saw the snake again, it had already withdrawn more than two meters away.
Round 2 – Draw
It seems that seeing that the old man did not immediately get up and fight back, the king cobra turned his head and came back. The actual situation was that the old man fell a little hard, and he didn't have time to get up. The old man lay on his side and did not dare to move, and saw the snake slowly climb up, and finally the snake stopped on his arm. It looks like the winner taunts the loser stepping on his feet.
The old man said that he was very calm at the time, and the snake's head was in front of him. As the snake climbed up, he covered his neck with his hands. Because he knew that once he was bitten by a poisonous snake to the main artery, even if the Great Luo Immortal came, he would not be able to save it. The snake from above looked at the old man, and the old man also looked at the snake, and the snake did not move, and the old man did not move. The whole process of looking at each other was only three or four seconds, but the old man felt that a long time had passed, and finally the snake did nothing and walked slowly.
Pick up a life
The snake had just left, and a pain in his leg surged into his heart, but the old man couldn't take care of it, he knew that now he needed to race against time.
When lao bo rode all the way to the health center 5 kilometers away, his eyelids could not be lifted. The health center learned that Lao Bo was bitten by a king cobra, and after some treatment, quickly transferred the unconscious Lao Bo to Shanglin County People's Hospital. (Perhaps there is no corresponding serum) was then transferred to the First Hospital of Guangxi Medical University in Nanning City.
After the old man woke up in his hospital bed in Nanning City, he told the story of the incident. Finally, he raised his left hand and said that he had been bitten by a snake 30 years ago (indicating experience). He regretted smashing the snake with a stone, and if it had not been for this move, the snake would not have taken the initiative to chase after him. He was glad that he had retrieved a life this time, and would not smash the snake again next time.
Two moves, two lucky ones
Professor Wang Wei, an expert in snake injury treatment at the First Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, said that in addition to his good luck, there are two other moves that are also crucial.
(1) The luck factor is less toxin.
Wang Wei said that the king cobra has two poisonous teeth injected with toxins, but Lao Bo's wound has only one tooth mark. This shows that the snake bites sideways, and only one poisonous tooth poisons the old man, and the toxin is greatly reduced.
(2) The second luck factor is that the old man rides an electric car, and it is not in the mountains.
King cobras are often found on or off the mountainside. The venom mixes with neurotoxins that act quickly and cause breathing to stop. If the old man is bitten in the middle of the mountain or on the mountain, there is no electric car around, and he may not stop breathing before he goes to the health center.
(3) The first key point, the old man is very calm.
The snake climbed on the old man, but he was very calm, not nervous or moving when he looked at him, which was very critical. Normal people will shout and wave their hands randomly when they encounter this situation, which will make the snake continue to attack.
(4) The second key point, the old man rushed to the professional rescue agency as quickly as possible.
When the old man arrived at the hospital, he was already suffering from general weakness, difficulty breathing, and drooping (he could no longer open his eyes). Since neurotoxins can cause respiratory arrest, it is necessary to quickly find a professional medical institution for endotracheal intubation and maintain it with a ventilator.
According to Wang Wei's description, although Lao Bo had a random operation in the early stage, he calmed down after being bitten and saved his life with the lessons learned 30 years ago. But in fact, the old man's luck is not just the two points that experts say.
king cobra
The king cobra is the largest venomous snake, with an adult body length of 3 to 4 meters and a weight of about 12 pounds. Expedition records show that the largest individual ever captured in Thailand was 5.85 meters. Due to its large size, the king cobra moves quickly through the mountains like a gust of wind, so it is also called "mountain wind".
Although the venom of the King Cobra is not as poisonous as that of the Cobra, due to its large size, the amount of venom in the venom glands is also large. An adult king cobra can expel 50 milliliters of toxin at a time, killing elephants, the largest animal on land, in just one bite. Therefore, there is a folk saying that "the wind over the mountain passes, and the hundred beasts give way."
The old man was lucky and encountered only a juvenile snake more than 2 meters long.
- Poison is not used lightly
According to some data, the IQ of the king cobra is also the best among snakes. They feed on other snakes, including their kind. When catching snakes, the king cobra will first determine whether the other party is poisonous.
If it is a small non-venomous snake, they will not easily release toxins, relying on strength and agility to exhaust their opponents and then eat them with their mouths. If the enemy is poisonous or feels larger, the king cobra will find the right moment to bite the enemy's neck. Depending on the size of the prey, a certain amount of venom is injected, until the toxin attacks will not release the poisonous fangs, and then slowly enjoy the meal.
It can be seen that the old man is very experienced and knows how to protect his neck.
The venom of venomous snakes is made from a combination of poisonous proteins. The production of venom requires a lot of energy (energy comes from food) and takes a long time. Therefore, venomous snakes cherish their venom and generally use snake venom for predation. In addition to filling the stomach, more food also means more venom, and so does the King Cobra.
However, young snakes often do not control the amount of venom, just like children do not have light or heavy hands. The old man was fortunate that the young snake he encountered not only bit the wrong one, but also injected very limited toxins.
- Mutual misunderstanding
All animals attack for two main purposes: to prey and defend themselves. King cobras encounter humans, but they are also instigated. Humans are too big for them to be prey. Dealing with humans is purely for self-defense, in addition to saving lives, there is also the protection of territory and the protection of eggs.
International snake expert Rum Whitaker has done experiments, using high-speed cameras to record the moment when the king cobra attacks humans. Experiments have found that sometimes humans stray into territory and do not attack them, and the king cobra will close its mouth and attack the human foot with the snake's head. It feels like hitting you with a small fist, which is actually trying to drive you away.
(There is a five-step snake in the picture, and the answer is revealed at the end)
If it is to protect the egg or be stimulated, the king cobra will stand upright, the ribs of the neck will expand to take on a hood-shaped shape, and the fangs will be exposed, while making a hissing warning sound. At this point, you have to pay attention, which is equivalent to the king cobra showing the hole card. If you continue forward, once in attack range, it will be forced to use venom in order to save its life, or even spray venom directly.
The old man picked up the stone and smashed it at the already stimulated king cobra, which was adding fuel to the fire, which was equivalent to telling it, "I am ready to take your life."
The desperate king cobra can only break the net with the old bo fish. Unexpectedly, the old man himself fell, and the tall figure suddenly became smaller, which made the snake mistakenly think that he had defeated the enemy with one blow, and the opponent had no ability to resist. Then climbed on the old man to further test, only to find that the old man was still motionless. In the snake's cognition, the danger posed by the old man has been lifted. The old man was not food, and there was no need to waste venom further, so he went straight and slowly.
- The snake actually wants to escape
In fact, the king cobra wandering in the wild sensed that there was a behemoth approaching and the first thought was to flee. However, there is a fixed route for snakes to escape. The old saying that "the snake goes the old way" means that the snake will return the same way. This is because they leave a smell along the way when they come out of the cave, and when it is convenient to escape, they can quickly hide along the smell of the cave.
Sometimes people and snakes meet, and both sides want to escape, and the route that people avoid is exactly the route of the snake's escape. So it gave people the illusion that the snake was chasing people, and finally had to draw their swords at each other. Therefore, when encountering snakes in the wild, we must avoid their forward route. This path may be the only way for the serpent to save his life.
The king cobra may have just crawled past the field path, and when the old man came over, the snake sensed the vibration of the ground and prepared to climb back to the field path (the original road return), just met the old man. Because the distance was too close or the life-saving route was blocked, the old man still refused to give in, so there was a tragedy.
To sum up: in the wild, it is best to hold a wooden stick in your hand and knock on weeds or the ground as you walk. The so-called grass snake can tell the nearby snake that "someone is coming" and let the snake avoid in advance. In addition, it is important to note that some snake colors blend in with the environment and are not easy to spot. For example, there is a five-step snake in the center of the third picture, which is difficult to find without looking closely. Even if you see a snake, keep your composure and don't pass in the direction the snake is heading. If they happen to be in the way of their progress, give in at the first time. Don't stone the snake! #Snake ##Guangxi##King Cobra ##毒蛇 #