10 deadly king cobras spotted at 9,000 feet near Mount Everest, scientists in shock due to…, Experts call it sign of…
In a surprising event, scientists found 10 king cobras in Nepal’s Everest region at heights between 1,000 and 2,700 meters. These snakes were rescued from four different locations – Gopaleshwor, Bhanjyang, Sokhol and Fulchowk areas. This shocked experts because king cobras usually live in hot, lowland jungles and not in cold, high places. The snakes were seen in areas where they had never been found before. Their presence at such heights is strange and has raised many questions among researchers. Some believe this may be linked to rising global temperatures, which might be forcing the snakes to move. Others say more research is needed to understand why these dangerous reptiles are showing up in the mountains.
According to Bishnu Pandey from Nepal’s Forestry Institute, king cobra eggs were found near the Gaurishankar Range just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, cobras have been seen in Jiri Municipality, which lies between 1,600 and over 5,000 meters in altitude. These snakes are the same species usually found in Nepal’s Terai region, which is at a much lower elevation.
King Cobras, the longest venomous snakes in the world, are normally found in thick forests of India, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines. It’s very uncommon to see them in Nepal’s cooler and higher regions. Another snake, the Monocled Cobra, which has a round mark on its hood, is usually seen in low and wet areas.
Many experts think this strange movement to higher areas could be a sign of climate change. As temperatures rise, snakes might be moving to cooler places for survival.
However, not all scientists agree completely. Dr. Ramesh Chinnasamy from India’s Wildlife Institute says that while king cobras usually live in rainforests and are shy in nature, we can’t say for sure that this change is due to climate change without deeper research. He explained that warmer weather can make snakes more active and possibly push them into new areas, but more studies are needed to understand if this is just a rare case or part of a bigger environmental shift.
Nepal is one of the countries most at risk from climate change and has faced more extreme weather in the last 15 years. Data shows that the hottest temperatures in Nepal are increasing by 0.05°C each year, which is faster than the rise in the coldest temperatures, going up by 0.03 Degrees Celsius yearly. Meteorologists say that hill and mountain regions are warming more quickly than the low-lying Tarai area. This warming may be making it easier for snakes, like king cobras, to survive and adjust to higher and cooler places where they were not found before.
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