Guwahati, Sept. 30 -- A study led by a group of Mizoram researchers has provided the first comprehensive morphological characterisation of the Northern King Cobra population in Mizoram, while reinforcing earlier genetic evidence placing the state's king cobras within the Indo-Chinese lineage, Ophiophagus hannah.

The study, led by Prof. Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga of the Department of Zoology, Mizoram University, has been published in Proceedings of the Zoological Society by Springer.

Despite the difficulty in obtaining data for the species due to being a highly protected species in India (Schedule 1 animal) and vulnerable species as per IUCN, researchers examined 27 adult king cobras-15 males and 12 females, combining detailed morphologica...