| Kao Yai National Park in Thailand: King Cobra |
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This week I came to the Kao Yai National Park in Thailand, one of the region's largest parks and where I hoped to find a very big venomous snake…the king cobra! One of the first animals I spotted was a spectacle gecko. The gecko has small suction cups on its legs to hold on. |
| Not far into my adventure I spotted a pig tailed macaque, a very social primate. They live in large groups of 16 or more headed by a 'patriarch', a male leader. |
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I almost missed a forest millipede on a log and I looked at its hundreds of legs. I saw little mites hitching a ride, using the millipede as a bus. |
| I also found some very rare animals, like the barking deer. This odd deer makes a barking sound to mark its territory. It also can protect itself with sharp canines. But I found an even more rare animal…the marbled cat. The marble cat is an arboreal animal - a tree dweller. |
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I knew I was getting close to the King Cobra--but I stopped and checked out the ruins of the great city, Ayutthaya -- once the home of the King of Siam. From 1350-1700 great kings ruled the country from here, a once bustling city of temples and official buildings. Now, it's only deserted ruins surrounded by the jungle. |
| After leaving the city, I saw another rare and endangered animal, a sun bear, a small bear only half the size of American black bear. The bear gets its name from a halo of orange on its neck. But the sun bear is fast disappearing as the rainforest shrinks--and in 25 years there may be no more of the small bear. I alos spotted a pileated gibbon, a primate that is very similar to humans. The gibbon is monogamous, with each male and female living out their life together. |
| Then I saw this week's feature creature -- the King Cobra. This snake has deadly venom that's strong enough to kill an elephant and it's the longest venomous snake in the world. Though it eats rodents, its favorite food is other snakes. It's definitely the king of venomous snakes. |
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Then I got back on my elephant…and off to my next adventure! |
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--Totally wild,
Jeff |
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