Marines drink cobra blood in US-Thai war drills

US and Thai marines slurped snake blood and ate scorpions in a jungle survival programme on Monday as part of the two nations' annual Cobra Gold war games.

Now in its 37th year, Cobra Gold is one of the largest military exercises in Asia, bringing thousands of troops from the United States, Thailand and other countries for 10 days of field training on Thai shores.

"The key to survival is knowing what to eat," said Thai Sergeant Major Chaiwat Ladsin.