Researchers used the Field Museum's snake collection to help discover that what they thought was one species making up king cobras is actually four. They noticed differences in bands — one specimen had very narrow bands, the other very wide bands — as well as differences in the number of teeth.

"There's just a lot we don't know, and this is sort of the first step in getting a better grasp on what this biodiversity really means," said Sara Ruane, associate curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Field Museum.

As the Year of the Snake begins, researchers at the Field Museum are reclassifying dozens of king cobra specimens after distinct different species were recently identified.