By the time a human brain registers danger, a viper’s strike is already over. Here’s how these snakes can move faster than mammalian nervous systems can respond.
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For years people have been fascinated with the speed of a snake's strike, especially that of a venomous snake. The question of which is fastest is always the biggest, it's the viper btw. But what really are the mechanics behind the how and is there a way that we can avoid it?

In practical terms, this gap between perception and movement creates a hard physiological limit. No amount of training, vigilance or experience can meaningfully overcome it once a strike has begun.

From a biological standpoint, this places vipers in a unique category. Their strikes are fast enough to outpace even the fastest mammalian sensorimotor loops, which means that evading the strike will depend fully on anticipating it, rather than reacting to it. This is why prey species that survive vipers often rely on distance, vigilance or erratic movement; speed alone is not enough.

Want to geek out and learn about how snakes move? Click here to learn more.

1 / 1Do Western Ghats King Cobras, Ophiophagus kaalinga, take the train? (a) View of Chandor Station, Goa, India, from below the platform, showing the vegetation and the concrete pillars, where the snake was found. This location is atypical and unsuitable for king cobras. (b) Laborer accommodations lie just a dirt path away from the concrete pillars where the king cobra was recorded. (c) The snake emerged from beneath a pile of railway tracks stored at the site for ongoing railway maintenance and repair. (d) An Indian Cobra (Naja naja) on a windowsill in the moving Lokshakti Express train near Valsad, Gujarat State, India. Photos by Dikansh S. Parmar (a, b), Sourabh Yadav (c), and Sameer Lakhani (d). Credit: Biotropica (2026). DOI: 10.1111/btp.70157

We all have laughed at the movie "Snakes on a Plane" but now the reality of snakes on a train is all too true for the cobras in India! Many travelers started reporting, with photos, the Western Ghats King Cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga) riding on the train. These vulnerable snakes started popping up in odd locations in the country, in ranges that are not hospitable to their needs.

In 2017, study author Dikansh Parmar was volunteering with a local animal rescue group that received a call about a snake onboard a train. The incident is now included as part of this study. Another train rescue occurred in 2019, which ended up in a newspaper report in Uttarakhand. An incident occurred in 2023, in which a snake catcher from Gujarat State snapped a picture of an Indian Cobra sitting in a train window.

The study team writes, "With the increased global availability of low-cost smartphones and social media in recent years, the number of reports of snakes on and around trains in India has increased, with three incidents recorded in a 30-day period, and many more emerging on social media."

To read more about the study, click here!

Jamie McNellis, a Conservation Specialist at the San Francisco Zoo, holds four-month-old garter snakes kept in enclosures at the San Francisco Zoo in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

The San Francisco Garter Snake is amazingly beautiful and also very endangered, but now with the help of the conservation program at the San Francisco Zoo, they may get a chance at re-establishing their population! The largest current population of the snake lives on the property of the San Francisco airport and is quite protected but there is another area in Pacifica that conservationist from the Zoo have been preparing to help headstart a population of 115 babies for a spring release with more planned for the future!

Those destined for Pacifica will be released into a habitat that has been upgraded for their arrival. The project included creating a new pond for snakes and red-legged frogs to thrive, and removing invasive Monterey Cypress and Monterey Pine trees.
“If we didn’t do any type of tree removal, those scrub and grassland areas would be converted into forested habitats,” said Fong. “For sun-loving reptiles like snakes, converting open grasslands and scrub to forested habitats is not great.”
In December, a vegetation crew from NPS scattered seeds to help populate the upgraded habitat with native plant species.
One remaining concern is the continuing threat posed by people and their pets. The striking colors that make the San Francisco garter snake a California icon have also made it a target for illegal poaching for the pet trade, said McNellis. SFO can secure its habitat with a security fence, but other habitats cannot provide protection.

The work that went into this project is amazing and hopefully provides for a successful recovery for these gorgeous snakes! To read the full article, please visit The Mercury News here. This project was extensive and impressive! Kudos to the San Francisco Zoo for their work!

Clint and Zac of Colubrid and Colubroid Radio will chat with Jon to discuss Kingsnake's past, present and future.

4:30pm Pacific Time

Check it out!

The International Herpetology Society celebrates 50 years this year.

This is a HUGE milestone for a foundational pilar of the hobby.
Half a century. 5 decades.

If you're not familiar, check out the IHS and their contributions to our hobby and community.

https://www.iherpsymp.org

End of January 2026:
What a month, this one flew by with exciting moments here at kingsnake.
We made it to our first expos on the west coast, RSS and PACNWRS.
We are humbled and so thankful for your support, posting and sharing about us, inviting us to your podcasts, posting to kingsnake classifieds, and purchasing our new merch, THANK YOU!
We were able to release a mobile friendly version of our classifieds and got to dig deeper into what our community needs and wants.
We are so pleased to have had a chance to meet with some of you in person, share stories and chat about kingsnake’s past and future.
You all are so creative and inspiring and we would not be here without your support.

Thank you for an amazing January!

What was YOUR favorite reptile, amphibian or invert moment from January?
(Maybe dream animals locking, or finally old enough to pair this year??? Was it something incredible you found at an expo? New friend? Something you learned??)

Fun Fact Friday
Green Tree Monitor

Comment below, what is your favorite fun fact about green tree monitors?

While you consider your comment, enjoy this fantastically framed photo of a Green Tree monitor.

Photo taken by kingsnake user slither savvy

What a weekend! Thank you to all who took the time to stop by the kingsnake booth at PACNWRS Puyallup and especially for your excitement that we're here for you!

We appreciate each of you, love hearing your stories of past adventures on the site and your ideas of where to grow from here. Thank you all!

Even managed to take a few pictures this time

Here is one of Yasser, Nick Mutton and Jon Poff
Check the photo gallery for a couple more.

Greg Pandelis, collections manager at the ARDRC and coauthor of the latest scientific publication on the distribution of Texas reptiles. Photo from Fox4

Rumor has it rattlesnakes are everywhere in Texas, but the reality is quite different. Recently a Western Diamondback was discovered in a garage in Denton County, Texas which is out of their normal range. They typically are found more in the drier, desert areas of Texas rather than the more forested, which is where Denton County is located. The animal is now at University of Texas at Arlington’s Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center (ARDRC).

Pandelis believes the snake came from a small undetected population within Denton County rather than migrating from neighboring areas.

"This is especially odd because of how common that snake generally is," Pandelis said. "It’s not something that usually eludes detection. So this specimen is very important and interesting because it will reform our understanding of not just where the species occurs in Texas, but maybe even what its habitat requirements are and what its limits are, as far as where it can occur and where it can’t. Having this individual snake preserved as a research specimen is so important because it will fill a gap in our understanding of this species and will be used in studies being done on Diamondback biology," said Pandlis.

To read the full article and learn how important citizen scientists can be, click here!

PACNWRS Expo this weekend in Puyallup Washington.
Come by say hi and checkout the new merch!

Looking forward to visiting with you all in the PNW!

Did you have kingsnake at two expos in Jan2026 on your bingo card?

Photo Credit: : Frank C. Müller/wikimedia commons, Bryan Berlin/Wikimedia Commons

When Rose Byrne received her Golden Globe she made sure to tell everywhere why her husband was not at her side.

"I want to thank my husband Bobby Cannavale who couldn't be here," Byrne said. "We're getting a bearded dragon and he went to a reptile expo in New Jersey. Thank you, thank you baby."

While she seems apprehensive about feeding crickets, Rose, we got you, they also eat vegetation and more of that than bugs down the road. And they eat more bug than crickets! We would love to help teach you more.

Also WHO SOLD THE BEARDIE! Are you on here! Tell us! HA! The last time a reptile show made this much of a stir was when Leonardo DiCarpiro bought a Sulcata from NARBC.

To read the article we grabbed the info from, click here.

Happy Meander Monday,
Mosey on over to our new Mobile friendly classifieds and Make yourself happy seeing some cool animals and our Make over.

Here's a screenshot of Goatsby's gila monster ad in kingsnake's new mobile friendly view.

Click MOBILE up top to see our new mobile friendly classifieds.

Release the
MOBILE FRIENDLY KINGSNAKE SITE!!

You asked, and you shall now receive.

Up by our logo, click on mobile
And be transported to the first iteration of a new mobile friendly kingsnake!!!

ONLY the classifieds are currently updated.
BUT HEY!
You can upload a photo from your phone and we'll resize for you.
YUP our development team is amazing!!

Go scroll, post and enjoy kingsnake's classifieds!



Photo is a water moccasin that was being released by BowieKinfe357, posted to kingsnake photo gallery.

Kingsnake is at the Reptile Super Show January 10th and 11th

Come see us!

This Tantalizing green Tree python Thoughtfully Theorizing Terrific Thoughts Toward you This Thursday


Originally posted to kingsnake by counter09

Wrestling Water Monitors Welcoming you to Wednesday

How many of you eagle eyes spotted the sneak peek at our new logo?

Well here it is for you front and center!
Additionally here is our new logo with our current grey banded kingsnake inspired mascot.

All of this was drawn by an artist who's been a reptile enthusiast for +30years. No AI, drawn by an artist.

Come see us at Pomona Reptile Super Show this weekend and say hello!

Monday Mentions

THANK YOU to all the people who've been sharing about Kingsnake!

Today we change our policy. To date kingsnake has not shared those who share us. After careful consideration, we have decided to re-share or thank everyone we can who shares about us.

Kingsnake is for everyone. We appreciate everyone who's spreading the word KS is updating to be what you need and to be your central hub with Classifieds, forums, events / expos, real people to chat and discuss with and more.

We'll start re-sharing what you all are sharing about us.

Shout out to a bunch we have seen:
Jeremy Turgeon - Thank you for the amazing videos and shout outs
Yasser Moustafa - Thank you for all the support and shout outs
Nick Burgener - Thank you for the comments and shout outs
Steve Angeli - Thanks for introductions to people who want to talk to us
Jeff Greene - Thank you for spreading the word
Mike Schultz - Maybe we are building rockets, great video.
Tyler Nolan - Thank you for posting about us and wanting to be involved
Aaron Pauling - Thank you for sharing so many of our posts
Gary Orner Jr - Thank you for the shares and spreading the word
Adam Grayson - Thank you for telling the Heloderma group to support us
Thank you Rodney Boalich and Spencer Vance for having us on your podcast.
Thank you Jeff Galewood and David Levinson, for having us on your podcast.
Thank you PACNWRS for the collaboration to support up and comers.


Thank you to so many others who have come to us to help, and/or have cool things in the works with us that we can't mention yet.

Who else have you seen sharing us?
The internet is vast, we want to see the greatness you all post and say thanks.

Kingsnake is very excited to have been asked by PACNWRS to partner in supporting up and coming youth and young adults in the community.

Vending expos is complex. Especially your first one.
PACNWRS and Kingsnake are running a contest to help an up and coming youth or young adult to vend their first expo.

The winner will receive a booth at PACNWRS Expo, help from PACNWRS and Kingsnake to design their logo, $250 for materials (banner, etc) and have their booth placed next to Kingsnake so they'll have support all weekend.

Apply now.
Share the link with up and comers in the Pacific NorthWest.
Spread the word.

1, 2, 26 ….
Lost count, the pacific giant centipede has way more legs than your typical king snake.

Scolopendra subspinipes - the Vietnamese or Pacific Giant Centipede

Happy Venomous Friday

With 2025 in the rearview mirror.

We're very thankful for everyone who's reached out and supported the transition of kingsnake.com

We're excited and looking forward to our growth and evolution in 2026

Be on the lookout for sneak peeks and new things rolling out soon.

2025 coming to an end, so lets go waaaay back

Here is the first picture posted to kingsnakes' photo gallery. Mexican Milk Snake.



Then, first post from a user, PerlNerd posted this Pin-Striped Spotted Python.



Have to post the hog island boa from khanley, the 3rd user to post to kingsnake's photo gallery.



Thank you all for ending another year with us.

Tongue out Tuesday with a baby 3 band armadillo

Posted to our photo gallery by azotochtli in July 2005

What is your favorite substrate? Why?

Deep cleaning often makes you think "What are others using? Is there something better?" or "Out of all the substrates, this one is still my favorite"

Share what you were you thinking about your substrates last deep clean, or spot clean.
"That was literally just replaced and you went already?!"

Purple Albino Reticulated Python

What expos are you most excited to attend in 2026?

We here at kingsnake are gearing up for Reptile Super Show and PACNWRS in January and looking forward to seeing your smiling faces in person.

Rumor has it, we might have stickers and other goodies available at our booth.


Checkout this Reptile Super Show photo from 2010!

As we reflect on the end of 2025, what is the best gift you GAVE this year?

These Uroplatus henkeli gave the gift of hatching to gekkotaculture.
Congratulations!



Henkel's Leaf Tail Gecko uploaded by gekkotaculture

Most of us are familiar with 'poison' dart frogs, sometimes called arrow frogs.

Are you aware that after a few generations in captivity, dart frogs are generally no longer considered poisonous?
It appears to be something they eat in the wild.

What do you think they consume in the wild that creates their toxicity?

Thoughtful Tegu Tuesday

Shiva the Tegu, hanging out being awesome.
Originally posted to kingsnake December 2006 by musicloverhoney.

Did you know that Argentine Black and White Tegus are somewhat endothermic? They have periods where they can generate their own body heat like a warm blooded animal.

Lots has happened with kingsnake since October 2025

This blog will serve as a quick easy link to all updates as we build kingsnake in the public.