Scientists Discover New Large, ‘Dangerously Venomous’ Snakes

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Humans know about all the huge venomous snakes in the world, right? Maybe not. New research suggests there are more species of king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) than scientists originally thought. A study published this week identifies two new king cobra species, including one called Ophiophagus salvatana or Luzon king cobra, which is 10-11 feet long. Like all king cobras, it’s dangerously venomous.

The Luzon king cobra lives on the island of Luzon in northern Philippines. It has an overall yellowish-gray or yellowish-brown coloring with a dark black or gray tongue.

See the Luzon king cobra, the “new” king cobra species here:

The second newly described species, the Western Ghats king cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga), only lives in India’s Western Ghats. This variation is often dark brownish to olive and has a dark red tongue.

It really makes you wonder what other animals are out there to discover.