Can a man survive after king cobra bite?

A couple of factors in surviving a bite from a king cobra:

1) How much venom did the animal inject

2) The availability of anti-venin and proximity (how close) to the hospital.

King Cobras can determine and inject as much or as little venom as they choose. There are cases and up to 30% of all bites are considered "dry bites." A dry bite occurs when the animal injects very little or no venom into the person. A cobra prefers to save its venom for prey but if threatened or cornered can give a substantial amount...a fatal amount. The venom is neuro toxic which causes respiratory and cardiac paralyses within minutes and death can occur in as little as 45 minutes after a bite.

Baby cobras do not have the ability to control the venom amount so their bites are actually considered more dangerous than adults which is also true for the north American rattlesnakes, copperheads and water moccasins.

The anti-venin is fairly specific to the specie of snake that bit you. So knowing it was a king cobra vs a water cobra or monocled cobra is important in the treatment protocal of anti-venin.

What that means is if you misidentify the snake they can give you the incorrect type of serum anti-venin and you're toast.

If you are within 45 minutes of help (hospital) there is a 50/50 chance of surviving the bite.

However, if you are bitten by a full grown adult (which can reach 18 feet) and if it gives you a full dose your odds of survival are reduced tremendously.

Cobras are tremendously intelligent animals and capable of problem solving. They think in 3 dimensions and plan.

Cobra venom is now under clinical trials for treating paralyses and neuromuscular disorders as well as memory and learning disabilities. For more info click on the zoocrewkids blog below.