King cobra spotted at 2,400 metres in Uttarakhand's Nainital

The world's longest venomous snake, the king cobra, has been for the first time sighted at a height of 2,400 metres in Uttarakhand, says a recent study.

It is a new altitude record for the cold-blooded species whose habitat is usually found in warmer climates, the study carried out by the state Forest Department said.

The species was spotted at a height of 2,400 metres at Mukteshwar in Nainital district.

Sighting of the king cobra at such a height is unusual as it is cold-blooded and prefers warmer climates to inhabit, it said.

Mukteshwar records sub-zero temperatures during winter, the study said.

The species has been sighted at an elevation of 1,840 metres in Sikkim, 1,170 metres in Mizoram and at 1,830 metres in the Nilgiris in recent years but never at an altitude like this, the study said.