While they haven’t slithered on earth for up to a century, some snake specimens at the Field Museum helped researchers discover four species of king cobra.
Previously, all king cobras were considered one species, but research published last year that included examining Field Museum specimens confirmed king cobras actually include four species based on DNA and physical differences.
“It really launches off additional studies, additional understanding,” said Sara Ruane, associate curator of reptiles and amphibians. “There’s just a lot we don’t know and this is sort of the first step in getting a better grasp on what this biodiversity really means.”
King cobras are the world’s largest venomous snakes, with some growing up to 18 feet long. Each species is predominantly present in one region: Ophiophagus hannah from mainland Asia, Ophiophagus bungarus from Southeast Asia, Ophiophagus kaalinga from the Western Ghats of India and Ophiophagus salvatana from the Philippines’ main northern island of Luzon.
Just in time for the Lunar New Year marking the beginning of the Year of the Snake, Field Museum scientists are now reclassifying and renaming the 37 king cobra specimens, preserved in ethanol in jars in the Field Museum basement, some collected as early as the 1920s, in the museum’s catalog to coordinate with the new research.
While the discovery answered some questions researchers had about king cobras, it raised others. Before splitting the cobras into species, it was believed king cobras were at risk of extinction. Now that king cobras comprise four separate species, each could have a different level of vulnerability.
“We need to reevaluate these four species to determine what are their actual extinction risks,” said Stephen Mahony, Field Museum research associate.
Field Museum herpetologist Chun Kame, research associate Stephen Mahony and Sara Ruane, associate curator of reptiles and amphibians, display a species of king cobra in the museum’s collection. Researchers are reclassifying king cobras after research showed there are four species instead of one.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Some types of venom can be used to create medications and drugs for human use, and it’s possible different toxins are present depending on the species, Ruane said. The discovery of the new species could also spur further development of more effective antivenom products targeting a specific toxin based on the species.
Of the four recently discovered species, the Field Museum has three of them in its collection. The fourth could also be present at the museum, but further DNA analysis would be needed to know for sure, said Chun Kamei, a herpetologist at the museum.
While some species need to be distinguished through DNA testing, there are physical characteristics, like the number of a certain type of teeth or the number and width of bands around the snake’s body, that can indicate which species the snake is.
Though scientists have been studying snakes and cobras for years, the discovery shows that there’s always potential for new revelations that change the field, Kamei said.
“This just goes to show how valuable our museum is and our collection is,” she said.
