| Length: | 3 to 4 m in length. (Reaching length of up to 7m) |
| Weight: | About 6 kg. |
| Colouring: | Olive green, yellowish-brown or black and have pale yellow cross bands down the whole body with a cream or pale yellow underbelly. |
King Cobra
Ophiophagus Hannah
Description:
The King Cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world, reaching lengths of up to 7m (22 feet). The King Cobra isn’t actually a true Cobra at all, but part of a separate genus. The species that live in the forest tend to be darker in color than those living in grassland environments. King cobras have a lifespan of about 20 years. King cobras are sexually dimorphic in size, with males reaching larger size than females. Despite their large sizes, typical king cobras are fast and agile. They are listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the IUCN Red List and included in Appendix II of CITES.
Did you know...?
… that a bite from a King Cobra could kill an elephant, because King Cobras release quite a lot of highly toxic venom. However, chances are very low that a King Cobra actually kills an elephant, because it would have to bite the elephant where its skin is very thin (e.g. behind the ears, at the end of the trunk).
