Facts About the King Cobra Snake

Some interesting facts about the king cobra snake or ophiophagus hanna are that from just one single bite, the venom of the king cobra snake is capable of killing twenty people or an elephant. The death rate from the bite of the king cobra snake is as high as 75%. King cobra snakes live in the rain forests and plains of southern China, India and southeast Asia. It’s habitat is that of dense highland forests. The king cobra snake is usually shy and they try to avoid human contact when possible, but if they are cornered, they become extremely and dangerously aggressive. Even though the king cobra snake can grow to 22 feet, the average length is about 12-13 feet and weighs approximately 13.2 pounds, but can weigh up to twenty pounds.

The king cobra snake’s diet is made up mostly of other snakes. When other snakes are not available for their consumption, they will feed on birds, lizards and rodents. Sometimes, though not commonly, the king cobra snake will constrict it’s prey before eating it. After consuming a large meal, a king cobra snake can go for months without another meal because it has such a slow metabolic rate. The favorite food of the king cobra snake is the ratsnake, which is a snake that feeds on rats. The color of the king cobra snake is that of tan, black or olive green with yellow cross band down their body. The king cobra snake has a lifespan of about twenty years.

The king cobra snake is the only snake that builds nests for their eggs. They guard their nests and their eggs very aggressively until they hatch. The female king cobra will actually rear up if she feels her eggs are being threatened by a larger animal. King cobra snakes are familiar to many as the snake that is charmed by snake charmers. In parts of Burma, snake charmers are usually women who have tattoos on them make with ink that is mixed with snake venom. This is thought to protect the snake charmer from the dangers of the king cobra. After the snake charming show, the snake charmer usually kisses the king cobra on the head.

King cobra snakes can hear, but they are deaf to ambient noises. The snake charmer gets the king cobra’s attention by the shape and movement of the flute and not the actual music itself. The king cobra snake belongs to the family Elapidae. There are over two hundred species of elapid found in various parts of the world. The group name of the king cobra snake is the quiver and it is a reptile.

The king cobra snake has a natural predator in the mongoose. The king cobra snake will try to get away from the mongoose. The mongoose actually has some resistance to the toxins that the king cobra snake emits. The king cobra’s bite venom is neuro toxic that can cause paralysis, severe pain, blurred vision, vertigo or dizziness and drowsiness. Death from the bite of a king cobra snake is from respiratory failure. The venom of the king cobra snake is produced in salivary glands located behind the snakes eyes.

Despite it’s ferocious reputation, the king cobra remains reclusive and will try to avoid confrontation with humans.
The many interesting facts about the king cobra snake make it one of most feared creatures in the world.

Sources – http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/king-cobra.html