The king cobra is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. The snake itself can grow up to 18+ feet (5.6 meters) in length and while it usually eats other snakes has been known to attack animals as large as Asian elephants.
King Cobra: Ophiophagus hanna
Distribution: Mainland India, southern China, south-east Asia.
Habitat: Dense highland forests, up to 2000m above sea level, usually near water.
Size: Length: average 4m. Record 5.58m.
Life-span: About 20 years.
Food: Snakes and lizards.
Sexual maturity: 5-6 years.
Breeding season: Mates in January. Eggs: 20-50.
Incubation: 60-70 days.
The king cobra kills and eats other species of poisonous snake. It is the longest of all the venomous snakes, and its bite can kill a man in 15 minutes, yet it prefers to avoid confrontation.
Daily Life: King cobras are active by day and night, but are rarely seen. They hunt by smell, 'tasting' the air with their forked tongues to track their prey. When they get close, they use their eyes to pinpoint their victim before striking, injecting a massive dose of venom. They are then able to swallow their victims whole while they are still alive. They have no limbs with which to rip their prey apart, so their lower jaws are independent, and are only loosely attached to their skulls. By using alternate movements of the lower jaws, they are able to drag their prey into their mouths. Large victims can take several hours to swallow, but after a large meal a king cobra will not have to eat again for a few weeks.
Tags:King cobra photos.Pictures of the king cobra
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