A man in India froze in fear as a 7-foot king cobra glided inside his shirt, an incident caught on video and went viral on social media. The man, who was reportedly a gardener, survived in what appeared to be a short yet bone-chilling ordeal with one of the world's deadliest reptiles on Earth. The incident occurred when the man took a nap outdoors after lunch.

King cobras are venomous snakes with neurotoxins that can cause physical ailment or death to their victims, even humans. Its venom is known for causing cardiac arrest and respiratory failure, as seen in cases of their bites on humans and other animals like small mammals. A fearsome predator in the wild, the ferocious reptiles can be found in northern India and other parts of the world.

Snake Crawls in Man's Shirt

King Cobra
Photo by sippakorn yamkasikorn on Unsplash

The said viral video about the snake crawling in the man's shirt in India was uploaded on YouTube by Kalinga TV last week. The clip garnered more than 100k views as of Monday, July 31, and received more than 1k likes.

In the footage below, it can be seen the snake popped out its head before hiding inside the man's shirt. It can also be heard that people around him rushed to his aid, carefully unbuttoning his top to reveal the reptile underneath. One of his fellow workers said "stay quiet and don't move," The Sun U.K. reported.

The video ended when the man was able to flee after the cobra got out of his shirt.

How Dangerous are King Cobras?

King cobras are the "longest venomous snakes in the world" and has enough venom from its bite to kill at least 11 adult humans or an entire elephant, according to website AZ Animals. While some exaggerate the capabilities of the king snake, they are, in reality, fast and can incapacitate animals of all shapes and sizes, according to the site.

Due to the lethality and speed of the cobras, there is a high chance of human mortality during encounters with it, as previously reported.

King Cobra Attacks

Despite its aggressive track record, a king cobra will likely to escape during an encounter unless it is provoked. Compared with other snakes, the cobra only attacks humans when it is cornered or as an act of self-defense or to protect its unhatched eggs, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.

The Smithsonian Institute estimates that the king cobra is responsible for five human deaths each year, with 20% of these involving rattlers in North America. Aside from northern India, king cobras can be found from east to southern China, across the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

In 2020, a man in Indonesia died from a king cobra bite while performing some stunts to tease the snake in front of his neighbors, the Metro U.K. reported.