Cobra vs. Python: Who would win?

I can tell you which one I'd prefer to go up against. Below the bold because it is all squiggly and gross.

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I'm guessing that that was a king cobra (the one that eats other snakes). This is obviously an example of intelligent design: snakes are clearly designed to eat other snakes!

Correct, the narrator said that it's a king cobra, and the python is a reticulated python.

I liked his comment at the end: 'In the oppressive heat of the dry season, two giant snakes become one'.

I wonder, though, what would happen if the python was longer than the cobra and it didn't notice? Would it just sit around with half a snake sticking out of its mouth until the rest had digested a bit?

oddly, it made me think of the spaghetti scene in "Lady and the Tramp"

I'll stick to Corn Pops

By NewEnglandBob (not verified) on 08 Nov 2009 #permalink

When I saw the title on my Google Reader, I thought, "[Monty] Python vs. Cobra [from GIJoe]? Well, Cobra have guns, while Monty Python's got comfy chairs..."

And here I thought this was going to be a post about programming.

Is this GI Joe Cobra vs. Monty Python? My money's on Python....

Unless the python can find a way to avoid the venom it isn't a contest. Its like bringing a knife to a gun fight.

ppnl: Are you sure for this case? There are snakes that appear to be immune to other snake's venom, and there are snake eating snakes that manage to eat poisonous snakes even if they are (maybe) not immune. (This whole area of research is pretty undeveloped as I understand it)

I voted for the cobra because they are very active and fast moving compared to pythons, in my personal experience. Given roughly equal size, I'd guess the cobra would out-move the python.

But the venom might be the key factor.

If you look at the piece of the video that shows both snakes' head, before the cobra starts eating, you'll see the python was quite close to what it needed to do. It had the cobra gripped just a little too far behind the jaws, at least by that point. The cobra could still move its head around a bit. If the python had come upon it at another angle, one that didn't require it to coil by moving its body in front of the cobra's jaw, it might well have won.

In fact, given the tendency of even nonvenomous snakebites to become infected (as I know to my discomfort), the python might have had its revenge.

OK, I looked it up. This species of python tends to eat warm blooded things. This species of cobra tends to eat ... snakes.

(Or did they say snacks.)

"King cobra's genus name, Ophiophagus, literally means "snake-eater", and its diet consists primarily of other snakes, including rat snakes, sizeable pythons and even other venomous snakes (including kraits, cobras and smaller members of its own species)." (wikipedia)

Sure looks as if the Cobra struck right away. That snake was hunting the python. Ewwwww, but strangely fascinating.

By Lynn Wilhelm (not verified) on 09 Nov 2009 #permalink

There's a programming language called Cobra?

I think king cobra is more powerful than python

The Cobra won. Can it win againts a black mamba?

By Chose Neihu (not verified) on 21 Jul 2013 #permalink

Not all the time guys. King Cobras does feed on other snakes including SMALL Phytons, but it is known that they avoid fully grown ones.
And on this vid- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOnDgrfhpKI
You can see how a small Phyton can be very risky on a King Cobra. ;)

1 bite of king cobra can kill 20 men

By Harikrishnan (not verified) on 06 Apr 2014 #permalink

who will win??? Sand Viper vs Black Mamba?????

By Souvik Roy (not verified) on 28 Aug 2014 #permalink

Size needs to be taking in to consideration. If you look at all the videos on YouTube you will notice in most cases the Reticulated Pythons being able to strangle the king cobra to some degree. And this is dispite their smaller size. The problem is reticulated pythons get much bigger (and they don't get any slower). A reticulated python over 100lbs is not just going to be strangling a King Cobra their going to be crushing bones. Look at Crocodiles, as babies they are eaten by everybody and their dog. But as adults they eat everybody and their dog.

By Danny Greer (not verified) on 11 Mar 2015 #permalink

Now this would be a different outcome with the 2 Aspadites species of python the Australian woma and blackhead python wich are also feed almost exclusively on the most toxic snakes in the world inland taipan eastern browns tiger snakes and aussie black snake's and are immune to venomous reptiles. Go python

python wins.although king cobra is highly venomous...phythons are larger and research proves phythons immune to venom

By Calvin akah (not verified) on 11 Aug 2016 #permalink