Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 (birds chirping)
00:02 Nearly three months have passed
00:04 since Nagaina mated with the village male.
00:06 It's now the end of May,
00:10 and she'll soon be ready to lay.
00:13 Most species of snake seek out a cavity
00:18 or an abandoned burrow in which to lay their eggs,
00:21 but not Nagaina.
00:28 King cobras are the only snakes that build a nest.
00:31 It's a unique skill,
00:34 but allows Nagaina to select the perfect spot
00:39 to give her young the greatest chance of survival.
00:42 On a slope near the base of a tree,
00:46 her nest is shaded from the hot sun.
00:49 But more importantly,
00:52 it won't get waterlogged by the monsoon rain.
00:56 (leaves rustling)
00:58 She's been hard at work for more than a week now.
01:01 Coiling her body,
01:04 she steadily amasses fallen leaves and twigs,
01:07 drawing them together into a pile.
01:10 It's a delicate process
01:17 that could take a couple of weeks to complete.
01:19 (birds chirping)
01:26 (gentle music)
01:28 The rustling leaves attract attention.
01:33 A rat snake,
01:36 on the lookout for rodents rummaging in the undergrowth.
01:39 Approaching the lair of a snake killer
01:47 is a dangerous mistake.
01:48 (gentle music)
01:51 But with an abdomen full of eggs,
01:57 Nagaina has zero appetite.
02:00 She has only one thing on her mind.
02:08 At last, the nest is ready.
02:18 More than a foot high and three feet wide,
02:21 it's a masterpiece of engineering.
02:23 Inside, Nagaina creates a small chamber
02:30 in which she lays a clutch of up to 40 eggs.
02:33 Once covered with more leaves,
02:41 the chamber will stay at an almost constant 80 degrees
02:45 and 90% humidity for the next three months.
02:48 Her work complete, Nagaina stands guard,
02:57 a queen on her throne.
02:59 She won't budge until her babies are ready to hatch.
03:05 The mongoose and wild boar that roam this forest
03:09 would love to feast on her eggs.
03:11 (gentle music)
03:14 But they'd be foolish to try.
03:18 Nothing is going to challenge this mother
03:25 when it comes to her babies.
03:27 (Nagaina crying)
03:32 (upbeat music)
03:34 (upbeat music)