Abstract
We report the sighting of Ophiophagus hannah from Yuksam Village bordering Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim. The present record signifies a range extention for this species with respect to altitude (1,840m) and habitat (temperate forests) reported for this state and the northeast India.
Highlights
There are two highlights of this sighting viz., the new altitude record of 1840m in the entire northeast and the edge of subtropical broadleaved evergreen forest and temperate forests, which may indicate the emergence of a potential habitat for the King Cobra in Sikkim Himalaya, needs further study
Temperate forests of the eastern Himalaya have never been reported as a habitat for the King Cobra as they were in higher altitudes characterized by cold climatic conditions (Ahmed et al 2009)
This new record of King Cobra in temperate forests and at higher altitudes requires further research
Summary
In terms of altitudinal distribution, this species is known to inhabit from 150m to 1530m in Nepal (Selich & Kestle 2002), sea level to 1800m in Sumatra (David & Vogel 1996) and has been reported up to 2181m in Mussoori Hills in India (Waltner 1975). We report the sighting of the King Cobra (Image 1) from Yuksam village (27022’12.5’’N & 88013’27.0’’E) bordering Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in the West District of Sikkim, India. A few days later, the snake was found to have moved a distance of about 200m and taken refuge near Karthok (27022’14.2’’N & 88013’21.2’’E), a sacred lake at an altitude of 1840m and in later days was oftenly seen basking on a rock near bamboo thickets adjoining the lake.
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