This frightening shot of a Thai king cobra about to attack was captured by a British photographer in Krabi province, but thankfully he lived to tell the tale and share this photo with the internet.
Photographer Tom Charlton from Gloucestershire was lucky enough to not get attacked by the Thai king cobra after several attempts to capture a perfect shot of the majestic serpent.
Tom described the experience on Facebook: “Had a lot of fun photographing the Thai king cobra that we caught in Krabi province, south Thailand a few nights ago. It took a while to settle, but eventually posed to perfection. We then released it around 200 meters from where it was caught. So awesome!”
He added that the cobra’s hood expanded throughout his interaction with it. Yikes.
Obviously, this awesome shot, which has been picked up by 9GAG, came from Tom’s years of experience of sharpening his photography skills and his knowledge of snakes.
The photographer owns Animal Eco Encounter, a company specializing in exotic animal education, reptile parties and photography.
Tom identified the snake in the image as Ophiophagus hannah or Thai king cobra. It is the world’s longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.7 meters.
Bites from a king cobra may result in rapid fatality, as early as 30 minutes after it injects its victim with venom.
Photos: Tom Charlton
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