Kaa is a fictional character from the
Mowgli stories written by
Rudyard Kipling. Kipling describes him as an exceptionally long, yellowish
Indian rock python. Kaa is one of Mowgli's mentors and friends. He,
Baloo and
Bagheera sing for Mowgli "The Outsong" of the jungle. First introduced in the story "Kaa's Hunting" in
The Jungle Book, Kaa is a huge and powerful snake, more than a hundred years old and still in his prime. Despite his polite, unhurried demeanor, animals seem to have a fearful respect for Kaa. Bagheera and Baloo first enlist Kaa's help to rescue Mowgli when the man-cub is captured by the
Bandar-log (monkeys) and taken to an abandoned human city. Kaa breaks down the wall of the building in which Mowgli is imprisoned and uses his serpentine
hypnosis to draw the monkeys toward his waiting jaws. Bagheera and Baloo are also hypnotized, but Mowgli is immune because he is human, and breaks the spell on his friends.