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Ophiophagus hannah Region: Throughout Asia |
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Regal Reptile The Intimidator An irritated king cobra is quick to show you how it earned its royal name: it rears up, its head completely off the ground--three or four feet if it’s a big snake--and curves its body in a menacing arch. The ribs below the cobra’s head expand into a hood, almost doubling the body width. Still not scared away? As a final move, king cobras growl when they really feel threatened. It’s a kingly display designed to intimidate enemies. King cobras don’t bite unless they’re pushed too far, and their aggressive reputation has definitely been exaggerated. But with a display like that, it’s easy to see why! Long, longer, longest King cobras are the longest venomous snakes in the world. They regularly measure more than ten feet long, and twelve footers are not uncommon. But the longest ever measured was more than eighteen feet from nose tip to tail. When a cobra that long rears up it can look a person straight in the eye! King cobras are relatively slender, but a well-fed, large individual can weigh 20 pounds or more. Unique among snakes These cobras are kings among snakes when it comes to raising young. Actually “queens” might be more appropriate, since it’s the female king cobra that actually builds nests, the most elaborate of any snake. She uses her body to sweep and scrape the forest floor, pulling leaves and grass into a pile two or three feet wide. She forms a pit in the top of the pile and lays her eggs there, then coils on top of the eggs to protect them. When the young hatch, between 20 and 50 quick and agile baby cobras emerge from the nest. Their black and yellow or white bands distinguish them from their olive green mother. After hatching, the young cobras are on their own. The female king cobra doesn’t provide any care for them. Snake-sized appetite King cobras eat snakes. Small snakes, big snakes, venomous, non-venomous, just about any kind of snake. King cobras eat pythons and even other cobras, which they subdue--along with other types of prey, like lizards--with their size and strong venom. Whether lizard or snake is the intended meal, they bite and hold on until the venom works and the prey is not moving. The cobra swallows the victim whole, working its jaws slowly around the meal until it’s been swallowed. Cobras and people Because of their dramatic display, cobras have fascinated people for hundreds of years. They’re even part of several religions. Images of cobras guard the entrances of some Buddhist and Hindu temples. King cobras bite relatively few people. Because of their great size, they’re probably easier to avoid than smaller snakes. Just the Facts Length: Up to 18 feet Distribution: Asia, including India, eastward to southern China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Although its range has shrunk due to habitat changes caused by an increasing human population, the king cobra still has a fairly wide distribution. It does not occur in high densities anywhere over its range. Habitat: Forest undergrowth, often near streams; also plains and mangrove swamps Wild diet: Snakes and lizards Brookfield Zoo diet: Rats King cobras at Brookfield Zoo You can see a male and female pair of king cobras—both approximately 10 feet long--in Reptile House.  Links |