Is This a Fair Fight?
A mongoose is a long, hairy creature with a pointed face and a bushy tail.
Despite popular misconception, they are not rodents.
They are members of the Herpestidae family, which also contains civets and meerkats.
Few animals can survive a cobra strike, and the Indian grey mongoose is one of them.
Mongooses are commonly kept as pets to keep rats and other pests out of homes.
Cobras are some of the most recognizable snakes on the planet, with their frightening hoods and intimidating erect postures.
Their grace, arrogance, and poisonous bite have earned them admiration as well as a fearsome reputation.
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
The Indian grey mongoose measures between 14 and 17 inches (36 and 45 cm) in length.
Their tail is usually the same length as its body, about 17 inches or 45 centimeters.
The mongoose’s lengthy tail makes it an excellent climber due to its increased ability to balance.
The females are substantially smaller than the males, weighing between 2 and 4 pounds (0.89 and 1.7 kg).
Their color is usually a tawny grayish brown, with a paler underbelly than their upper body.
In captivity, the Indian grey mongoose usually lives for about 12 years.
The Indian grey mongoose is unique in that it can distinguish between four colors, which is more than most other animals.
The King Cobra is the largest of the poisonous land snakes, reaching lengths of up to 18.5 feet (5.7 meters) and a neck width of up to 1 foot (0.3 meters), they are typically thin and weigh no more than 44 pounds or 20 kg.
Male King Cobras are longer and heavier than female King Cobras, which is unique because most snake species have males that are smaller than females.
A third of the King Cobra’s body can be lifted off the ground. In fact, if an 18-foot King Cobra were to stand upright, it could stare down on the average person.
The King Cobra, like other snakes with the name cobra, can flatten its neck, giving it its signature hood, they usually do this when threatened or attacked.
On the hood, there are fake eyespots that may frighten some predators.
Although their skin looks greasy, it is actually dry to the touch.
Cobras can be yellow, green, brown, or black as adults.
Juveniles have yellow or white bands running across their bodies.
Distribution and habitat
The Indian grey mongoose is thought to be found in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
A study published in 2007 discovered specimens in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, expanding the known range.
They appear to be able to live in a wide range of environments but prefer open ones.
Grasslands, open spaces, rocky patches, scrub, semi-desert, cultivated fields and other disturbed areas, thickets, bushy vegetation, dry secondary forest, thorn forest, forest edges, and areas near human settlement are all examples of these.
Although the species has been described as being less reliant on human settlements, investigations in heavily forested areas of India reveal it to be much more abundant around human settlements, frequently scavenging on trash.
The king cobra is mostly found in the Indian and Asian subcontinents.
They reside in areas where there is a dense forest.
Because of the various colors they are found in, they are difficult to distinguish.
In such densely forested areas, the chances of coming into contact with one of them are extremely high.
They tend to congregate in dense areas that are rarely disturbed.
King Cobras prefers to be close to bodies of water.
Diet
Rats, mice, smaller rodents, tiny birds, bird’s eggs, invertebrates, and lizards are all part of the Indian grey mongoose’s diet.
They’ve also been known to kill many species of snakes, which demand a lot of speed and agility.
It is one of the only snake species known to be capable of killing these dangerous snakes, as well as other venomous snakes.
Their quickness, as well as their extraordinarily thick, coarse coat, contribute to their ability to destroy these potentially dangerous creatures.
The diet of the King Cobra snake is primarily comprised of other snakes.
Despite the fact that the King Cobra prefers eating non-poisonous snakes, it will attack and prey on smaller venomous snakes as well such as Indian Cobras.
When food is sparse, King Cobras will feast on lizards and other small vertebrates.
They swallow their victim whole, starting with the head first.
BEHAVIOR
Mongooses are diurnal, terrestrial solitary hunters who hunt throughout the day and late at night.
Indian grey mongooses can be spotted at any time of day, but they are most active in the early morning and early evening in search of reptiles.
They move quickly, continuously traveling and examining the environment for food. Climbing trees is something they don’t do very often.
The capacity of this species to fight venomous snakes is well-known.
It accomplishes this primarily by exhausting the snake by tempting it to make several strikes that it acrobatically avoids.
The stiff inflexible hair and thick loose skin helps them block snake bites, they have specialized acetylcholine receptors makes it resistant or immune to snake venom as secondary protection layer.
The King Cobra is a shy and solitary creature, despite its terrifying reputation, it usually avoids human contact as much as possible.
Most fatal human attacks are caused by several smaller venomous snakes than the larger snakes.
Few animal fights have garnered more attention than the iconic conflict between the cobra and the mongoose throughout history.
Cobras were feared for their poison and regarded as deities in ancient Egyptian and Indian civilizations, whereas mongooses were revered for their ability to kill deadly snakes.
Cobras, of course, do not all belong to the same species or family of snakes, but they are all poisonous.
The Indian grey mongoose is one of the most well-known snake-fighters.
They can eat cobras and other dangerous snakes.
While cobras have extremely poisonous venom, it is insufficient to halt a hungry and eager mongoose.
So, in a fight between a cobra and a mongoose, the mongoose has a huge advantage.