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Insane photos of US Marines drinking cobra blood during a jungle survival drill in Thailand

Peter JacobsFeb 20, 2018, 00:38 IST

A U.S. Marine drinks the blood of a cobra during a jungle survival exercise with the Thai Navy as part of the &quotCobra Gold 2013" joint military exercise, at a military base in Chon Buri province February 20, 2013.REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

US Marines in Thailand for the Cobra Gold training exercise took part in one of the wildest parts of the drills - drinking cobra blood.

Cobra Gold is an annual military exercise for Marines and one of the largest in the Indo-Pacific region. The 6,800 US personnel attending this year represents a clear show of American muscle in a region where China is growing more powerful.

This year, seven countries are participating in Cobra Gold - the US, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore.

Part of the drill involves jungle survival. Marines learn which plants and animals are safe to eat if they're ever stranded.

Besides survival, it's also a show of strength. Indonesian troops showed off for US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this year by drinking snake blood in front of him.

Here's what the US Marines did this year: