Shocking! 10 king cobras found in Nepal, and here's why it is alarming
These snakes, normally found inhabiting warm, tropical areas, are hardly, if ever, seen in mountain areas with higher altitudes. And yet, they are now being found just 160 kilometers from Mount Everest, in places famous for their colder, mountainous weather.
This sudden occurrence has sent warning bells among researchers and wildlife experts, who point out that it could be more than a one-time incident. Experts say that it could be an indication of the growing effects of climate change.
Which cobras were found?
The snakes found in Kathmandu are two species:
1. King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)
This is said to be the longest venomous snake globally, measuring 18 feet long. The king cobra loves living in dense Indian and Southeast Asian forests. Its occurrence in cold, high-altitude areas, such as those surrounding Kathmandu, is very rare and something to be worried about.
2. Monocled Cobra (Naja kaouthia)
It is identified by the round disc "monocle" mark on its hood.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Mix 4 Kitchen Ingredients, Wake Up Thinner Every Morning
Health Now
Undo
It generally inhabits the hot, lowland regions of South and Southeast Asia, the rice paddies, marshes, and swamps. Like the king cobra, it does not inhabit mountain terrain.
Why the find is alarming is that these snakes weren't merely moving through forests. They were spotted in urban residential areas like Bhanjyang, Gupaleshwar, Sokhol, and Phool Chowk, some even within homes and courtyards. Rescue squads trapped and set the snakes free into surrounding forests without any harm.
However, discoveries of snake nests and eggs in these forests show that they may also be reproducing in these cooler spots.
Climate Change as a Driving Force
Climate change has been referred to by scientists and conservators as a likely cause of this unusual migration of tropical snakes into Nepal's mid-hills and mountains.
Research indicates that the temperature in Nepal's mountain region is rising at a rate of approximately 0.05°C every year, a rate higher than that found in the nation's low-lying Terai region.
This warming is forming new "microclimates" in higher elevations where species that were once limited to hot and humid environments can now survive and even flourish.
Human activity may be another possibility.
In addition to climate change, human action might also be responsible for this spread. Subodh Acharya, a rescue instructor, says that snakes might be unknowingly carried on trucks bringing agricultural products like hay or timber from the Terai lowlands to the highlands.
As the recent invasion of poisonous snakes in Kathmandu is raising new issues, it should not be overlooked that existing threats in southern Nepal are still present. The Terai belt is still a snakebite hotspot where fatal bites occur.
Every year, around 2,700 individuals succumb to venomous snakebites in the Terai. Women and children are especially at risk. This highlights the ongoing risk snakes present to human life, one potentially now spreading into new areas due to global warming and human migration.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
After historic ISS mission, Shubhanshu Shukla gets red-carpet welcome in Delhi, to meet PM; LS will hold special discussion on him today
Astronaut Subhanshu Shukla, along with astronaut Prashant Balakrishnan Nair, receives grand welcome from Union space minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and and Isro chairman V Narayanan at the Delhi airport NEW DELHI: Following his historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla received a red-carpet welcome at Delhi's IGI airport as he returned to the country from the US in the early hours of Sunday. Shukla, who piloted the spacecraft to the space station as part of the Axiom-4 mission, was welcomed by Union space minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta and Isro chairman V Narayanan, and a large crowd of space enthusiasts at the airport. Posting on X later, minister Jitendra Singh said, 'A moment of pride for India! A moment of glory for #ISRO! A moment of gratitude to the dispensation that facilitated this under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. India's Space glory touches the Indian soil… as the iconic son of Mother India, Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla lands at Delhi in the early hours of morning today. Accompanying him, another equally accomplished Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of the astronauts selected for India's first Human mission Gaganyaan who was India's designated backup for the mission to the ISS. Privileged to receive both of them'. Shukla is expected to meet PM Modi and then travel to his hometown Lucknow. He is likely to return to the Capital on Aug 22–23 to participate in the National Space Day celebrations. The Lok Sabha will hold a special discussion on Monday on India's space journey and Shukla's historic mission aboard the ISS, according to a notice issued by the lower House. The House will discuss 'India's first astronaut aboard the ISS — critical role of space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047', which could possibly end the deadlock between the govt and opposition in Parliament over the electoral roll revision in Bihar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She Mixed Pink Salt With This - Now She Can't Stop Losing Weight Break The Weight Learn More Undo Earlier on Saturday, Shukla had posted a smiling photograph of himself on a flight and said he was filled with emotions. 'As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past one year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family, and everyone in the country for the first time post mission. I guess this is what life is -- everything all at once," he said. In the 79th Independence Day speech at the Red Fort on Friday, PM Modi, while mentioning Group Captain Shukla's successful mission to ISS, had said that India is working towards becoming self-reliant in the space sector and preparing for the launch of Gaganyaan, its indigenous human space flight mission, and is also working on developing its own space station. In June, Shukla became the second Indian to go to space — after IAF wing commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984— as part of the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS. During the 18-day mission, Shukla, along with astronauts Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), conducted more than 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions aboard the ISS. He returned to the Earth on July 16.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
India gets its first privately funded institute for maths research
Representational Image MUMBAI: India, said Fields medallist Manjul Bhargava, must fall in love with mathematics again. Not as a "drudgery of formulae" but as an act of "exploration". Bhargava, Canadian by nationality but of Indian origin, believes classrooms need an overhaul-"experimental, playful," he said, with teachers "trained" to spark curiosity. Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of the launch of the Lodha Mathematical Sciences Institute (LMSI), he added: "I'm happy with the new textbooks and the changes brought in them. But they will only show impact in a few years." On the scientific advisory council of LMSI, Bhargava will lead sessions on arithmetic statistics, its new developments, and future directions. State cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha called it a school "not for an individual, not for a business, but for the nation that always prioritised knowledge over all and for India that gave so much math to the world." Entirely devoted to post-doctoral research, LMSI is India's first privately funded mathematics institute, backed by Lodha Foundation with a Rs 20,000 crore endowment. "We realised that for any nation to become strong, we ought to have original thinking and promote innovation," said Abhishek Lodha, CEO and MD of Lodha Developers. The privately funded mathematics research institute in the country is completely free, he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Could This NEW Collagen Blend Finally Reduce Your Cellulite? Vitauthority Learn More Undo Founding director V Kumar Murthy-who earlier led Toronto's Fields Institute-described math as the hidden scaffolding of modern life: the foundation for finance, engineering, and technology. Economist Nachiket Mor, also on the advisory panel, noted that models built in the West often collapse in India because they rarely account for "unique characteristics" like limited liquidity and higher viscosity of adjustment. "This reality makes it all the more urgent for us to build deep capacity mathematics," he said. Murthy explained that LMSI would begin not with students but with teachers. Ten senior number theorists have been chosen to seed the effort. As president, Murthy said he plans to travel across the country, meeting mathematicians firsthand and mapping who is doing what. The aim is to build a network where the "brightest minds" are spotted early, handpicked, and nurtured. By Dec 2026, LMSI will host the first Indian Congress of Mathematicians, showcasing contributions of Indian-origin mathematicians worldwide.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Chinese scientists use ‘ionic glass' to make organs transparent without slicing, unlocking 3D ‘X-ray vision' of the human body
Chinese researchers have developed a pioneering method that turns organs such as the brain and heart transparent without damaging their structure, a breakthrough that could transform medical imaging and disease research. Scientists believe that the ionic glass method may allow them to visualize entire organs in three dimensions, overcoming long-standing barriers in the study of complex tissues such as neurons, blood vessels, and cardiac networks. Traditionally, to study something like the brain or heart in detail, scientists had to dissect the organ into slices and then examine them under a microscope. This destroys the intact structure and makes it harder to understand how all the parts are connected in 3D. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Dividend Stocks With Strong Ratings Seeking Alpha Read Now Undo The new 'ionic glass' method makes the organ transparent while keeping its original shape intact. Why transparency matters Live Events Scientists have tried to peek inside whole organs without cutting them apart. But biological tissues are naturally opaque and block light, while fluorescent dyes, used to highlight cells and molecules, don't penetrate easily. Existing 'clearing' methods can make tissue transparent but often distort the samples, causing organs to expand, shrink, or lose delicate details. Frozen methods risk ice crystal damage. This has limited researchers' ability to study organs intact. The 'ionic glass' solution The Chinese team, led by Tsinghua University and including researchers from Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Beijing Qingzhun Medical Technology Company, and Fudan University, turned to ionic liquids, special solvents that stay liquid below water's boiling point. When organs are treated with these liquids, they enter an 'ionic glassy state.' In this state: Tissues become transparent while preserving their original shape and microstructures. Samples can be stored cold for long periods without ice damage. Fluorescent dyes glow 2–30 times brighter, making even faint biological signals visible. What the researchers found Using this method, the team successfully examined the micro-connectivity of human neurons and even identified subtle differences in impulse control compared to non-human brains. Because the process enhances visibility of rare proteins and neural pathways , it could help create highly accurate 3D maps of entire organs, something researchers have long sought but struggled to achieve. Potential applications According to the South China Morning Post, the university said the advance could be a game-changer, and they would work on precision medicine and intelligent diagnostics with it. The Tsinghua University's social media page described their technique as providing 'X-ray vision for tissues,' combined with a built-in system to manage sample preparation, dye staining, and 3D reconstruction.
