King Cobra Facts

The king cobra, scientifically known as ophiophagus hannah, is the largest venomous snake in the world. Averaging 12-15 feet in length and weighing up to 20 pounds (9 kg), they are quite a site to behold. Some have even been known to grow up to 18 feet in length. They are diurnal, meaning that they are active during the day. A king cobra can live up to 20 years in the wild.

King cobras can be found in India, China, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and even the Philippine Islands. Their colors can vary greatly depending on the region. Some are olive, light-brown, or somewhere in between. They may also have bands of white, yellow or beige. Regardless of region, all king cobras have a pale yellow underside, although some may have bars. When threatened they can raise their bodies (up to one-third their body length) off of the ground and produce a hiss which sounds like a dog growling. They will spread loose skin by extending elongated cervical ribs of the neck in order to create their notorious king cobra “hood. ”

Although king cobras mainly live on land, they will climb trees to hunt their prey and have been known to swim as well. A king cobra’s diet consists mostly of other venomous and nonvenomous snakes. However, they will also eat lizards, eggs, and small mammals if the mood suits them. They use there fangs to poison their prey and then swallow them whole.

Mating season for the king cobra usually occurs from January to April. Males will fight for females using some kind of “neck-wrestling” technique. The winner will then rub the female with his head in order to court her. When the time comes to lay her eggs, the female will make a nest (the only snake in the world to do so) to both shelter and incubate the 20-50 eggs. Both the male and female will aggressively and ferociously guard their nest from any intruders. After 3 months, the eggs hatch and the newborns begin their life. Baby king cobras are about 18-22 inches (45-55 centimeters) long and are jet-black with white or yellow crossbars on their body as well as four crossbars on the head. They will remain with their mothers for only 2 weeks before venturing out on their own.

A king cobra’s venom is not the most deadly, but it can still deliver enough venom in one bite to kill 20 people or even an elephant. As scary as that might be, in reality they kill less than five people a year. Like all wild animals, a king cobra will leave you alone if you don’t bother it. They are quite a unique species of snake that deserve to be treated with respect.

Sources:

“King Cobra” 2 October 2010

http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/zoo/meet-our-animals/reptiles/lizards-and-snakes/king-cobra.htm

“King Cobra” National Geographic 2 October 2010 http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/king-cobra/

“King Cobra” 5 October 2010

http://www.manbir-online.com/htm2/snake.30.htm