Standing tall, flaring its hood… watch out for the king cobra.
- The longest snake on earth is the king cobra, and its scientific name is ‘Ophiophagus hannah’, being the only snake in the Ophiophagus genus, with most other cobras belonging to the Naja genus.
- King cobras range from black to dark brown to olive green in colour, grow up to and over five meters (16 feet) in length and can be as heavy as 9kg (20 pounds), although they typically weigh about 6 kg (13lb).
- King cobras are native to India and southeastern Asia and are a protected species in India, as their numbers have become dangerously low, and it is illegal to kill them.
- King cobras make a low hissing sound that sounds like a growl.
- One bite, or 7ml (0.2 ounces) of king cobra venom can kill 20 humans or 1 elephant.
King Cobra
Image courtesy of Michael Allen Smith/Flickr
- If threatened or cornered, king cobras will attack humans although they are more likely to escape and shy away from people where possible.
- A king cobra’s diet consists mostly of other snakes, although they will sometimes eat lizards, birds, eggs and rodents, and they usually hunt their prey during the day.
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King cobras are often the choice of snake charmers even though the snakes are deaf, they move instead to the vibrations in the ground.
- King cobras have good vision and can see things that move from up to 100 meters (330 feet) away.
- Female king cobras are believed to be the only snakes that construct nests, which they make from leaves and other vegetation on the ground, on which to lay their 20-40 eggs.
Bibliography:
King Cobra, 2013, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/reptiles/king-cobra/
King Cobra, 2010, Reptile Park, http://www.reptilepark.com.au/animalprofile.asp?id=114
Amazon: 
