The king cobra wanted to eat, but both died in the fight for survival.
A photo has been going around on social media for a few days showing a king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) and a reticulated python (Python reticulatus) in a deadly encounter for both snakes. The photo shows the cobra biting the neck of the python, while the entire python is wrapped around the head and neck area of the venomous snake.
A King Cobra (the worlds longest venomous snake) has attempted to catch, kill and eat this Reticulated Python (grows to…
Posted by Reptile Hunter on Thursday, February 1, 2018
The location of where the photo was taken is unknown, but it was most likely taken in Southeast Asia where both the reticulated python and king cobra are native. While it may seem unique to see such an event occur, it is more likely more common than you may think.

A Periam Photography/Shutterstock
King cobra.
Back in 2015, video was captured of a king cobra attacking a reticulated python on the campus of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
That footage shows the reticulated python lower body area wrapped around the neck of the king cobra. They are both in the gutter on a busy street, when after about two minutes after the video started, the reticulated python releases the venomous snake, which then high tails out of there. Both were eventually captured, with the cobra being sent to a zoo in Singapore.