Which snake is the king of snakes?

The king cobra is an apex predator and dominant over all other snakes except large pythons.

A new study suggests that king snakes are, pound for pound, the strongest constrictors in the world.

Cobras are venomous snakes related to taipans, coral snakes, and mambas, all members of the Elapidae family. Snakes in this family cannot fold their fangs down, as vipers can, so the fangs are generally shorter. They kill their prey by injecting venom through their fangs.

A human can collapse within 45 minutes of a Black Mamba bite. Without treatment it can take 7 to 15 hours for a Black Mamba bite to kill you. The sooner a person is treated after the bite, the better his chances of survival. A Black Mamba antidote is administered where necessary, but some people may be allergic.

Russel's viper (Daboia russelii)

Along with the Indian cobra, the common krait, and the saw-scaled viper, it belongs to what are called “the Big Four”. These four snakes are responsible for causing the most medically significant snake bites on the Indian Subcontinent.

After the king cobra, the black mamba is the longest venomous snake in the world. It is also the fastest-moving snake in the world, reaching up to 23km/h.

At some point during this incredibly dangerous fight, the python was bitten by the ultra-venomous king cobra. Yet, the reticulated python - the world's longest and heaviest snake - remained constricted around the king cobra and killed the cobra while too being dead.

The effects of the venom would take too long to incapacitate the anaconda, giving the constrictor more than enough time to finish the king cobra. This would be a short-term victory, though. The king cobra's venom will get the anaconda eventually.

Kingsnakes emerged the clear winner. All three kingsnake species produced significantly higher constriction pressures than all three rat snake species. Some were so strong they could squeeze twice as hard as was necessary to kill a rodent.

In fact, there are well documented reports of king cobras feeding on the reticulated python in Southeast Asia. It is no doubt that king cobras do occasionally consume large prey such as monitor lizards or even pythons.

Some fun facts about the Black Mamba:

They are some of the world's fastest snakes and are capable of speeds of more than 12 miles (19 km) per hour and hence will be the one which can kill the fastest.

The few confirmed attacks by King Cobras in nature have often resulted in rapid death. In other cases, dry bites or mild envenomation have been reported. Few clinical cases have actually been recorded.

The black mamba is the second-longest venomous snake in the world. The longest venomous snake is the king cobra. Although shorter than the king cobra, a black mamba's venom is five times deadlier. These snakes are some of the most feared in the world.

Recent research has shown that “true cobras,” those in the family called Naja, are an African lineage (though a handful of species radiated into Asia). King cobras are not in the Naja family, rather, they are the only members of their own group, Ophiophagus.

Though it's rare for a black mamba to attack a human unprovoked, they are nevertheless reputed to be one of the most dangerous snakes for a person to encounter. In Africa, they are both feared and respected, and a legendary lore surrounds the larger-than-life reputation of the snake.

Over distance they slow down to 7 MPH (12 KPH). However, the average human run speed over distance is 6 MPH (10 KPH). Thus, you cant outrun a Black Mamba. Still, Black Mambas are extremely shy and will do everything they can to avoid people.

Stories of black mambas that chase and attack humans are common, but in fact, the snakes generally avoid contact with humans. Most apparent cases of pursuit probably are examples of where witnesses have mistaken the snake's attempt to retreat to its lair when a human happens to be in the way.

The saw-scaled viper, Echis carinatus, is considered the deadliest snake in the world, according to Britannica. This type of snake is said to be responsible for "more human deaths than all other snake species combined." The venom of the saw-scaled viper is not as lethal as other snakes, but it is far more aggressive.

And it's easy to believe they're right. After all, there's a 37-year-old list that says that 21 of the 25 most toxic snakes in the world are all from Australia. And aren't funnel-web spiders, box jellyfish, stonefish and cone snails all dead-set killers?

The inland taipan is the deadliest and most venomous snake in the world. Found in Australia, the inland taipan is dark tan with dark-edged scales. It has the most toxic venom of all snakes. The inland taipan's venom has the potency to kill 100 humans in a single bite.

Rosy boas are considered one of the slowest moving snakes in the world, moving only 1 mph on open ground. When they feel threatened, they will curl up into a ball with their head protected in the middle. They also excrete a foul-smelling musk.

The reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) is the longest snake in the world, regularly reaching over 6.25 metres in length.

Are snakes faster than humans on land? No. Though many snakes are known to move quite quickly, no snakes are able to outrun a human. The Black Mamba is considered the fastest moving snake in the world, travelling at up to 12km/hr, however even this is easily outrun.

Adult mambas have few natural predators aside from birds of prey. Brown snake eagles are verified predators of adult black mambas, of up to at least 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in). Other eagles known to hunt or at least consume grown black mambas include tawny eagles and martial eagles.

In fact, there are well documented reports of king cobras feeding on the reticulated python in Southeast Asia. It is no doubt that king cobras do occasionally consume large prey such as monitor lizards or even pythons.