Here in India,
this cobra is heading directly for a village.
It has detected the scent
of prey.
Nearly two metres long,
it has enough venom in a single bite to kill 10 people.
And when they are hunting,
there is no place they won’t go.
A toad.
Each tip of its forked tongue
collects chemical signals from the prey
and helps to reveal its position.
But up close,
the snake relies on movement to precisely locate its prey.
The toad must pick its moment to escape.
Every time it touches the ground,
the toad leaves behind a scent.
It can hide,
but the trail will lead the snake to it.
These cobras don’t just hunt here,
they live here.
They have found a home where the Hindu villagers revere them
and consider them to be demigods.
One of the most feared animals on the planet
has found a place where they are accepted
and can coexist with human beings.
