Page 92 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world's longest venomous snake and the sole
member of its genus, Ophiophagus, a member of the family Elapidae. The king cobra is found on the
Indian Subcontinent through Southeastern Asia to Southern China. The average adult king cobra can
measure up to 3 to 4 metres in length, with a body diameter of about 12 to 13cm, and could weigh
around 6.81 to 9.08 kg. The longest king cobra known to date was caught in Thailand and was nearly 6
metres long. Also, the King cobra is not a true cobra; it’s much longer than the true cobra (genus Naja)
that grows only to a length of around 2 metres.
Another noticeable difference is the 11 large scales
on the crown of the king cobras head, not present
on the true cobra.

Unlike many venomous snakes whose col-
ours are fixed and bright, the King cobras colours
are usually a reflection of the habitat it resides.
Subsequently, adults or juveniles could be yellow,
green, brown, or black. With Adults, the main col-
our will be interspersed with pale yellow or faded
white crossbars or chevrons, with its underside a
light pale colour. Juveniles are always brightly
coloured with coloured stripes running the length
of their bodies. Like all snakes the king cobra de-
pends a lot on its senses and airborne scent. With
no physical ears, it senses vibrations in the
ground through an inner ear bone connected to its jaw, and although
its eyesight is relatively good, it hunts mostly by scent carried in the
air. Its long forked tongue picks up information from the air and feeds
it to a receptor known as a Jacobson's organ on the roof of its mouth.
Although they are apex predators, king cobras prefer to avoid humans.
Coming close to one in the wild, will cause it to raise high into the air,
hissing loudly through its glottis. With its neck flares spread out and
its long curved fangs dripping with menace, it will make eye contact.
This stance is usually a warning to the intruder to back off, not nor-
mally a prelude to an attack. King cobras are fast; they can slither
through the undergrowth at around 15 to 19 km/h. They also have considerable
forward leaping distance and are very fast if they decide to spring forward and
attack. Get too close and it will not hesitate to spring and bite. If not treated
quickly their venom is fatal.

The king cobras habitats vary across the countries and regions they reside,
from streams in dense or open forest, bamboo thickets, adjacent agricultural ar-
eas and dense mangrove swamps. In these regions they live solitary lives, but
Adult will sometimes come together at mating time in small groups, known as quivers,
in search of a mate. To attract a mate the male makes a loud whistle-like sound.
Once paired, they remain together for that season only. At mating time the fe-
male does something quite unique among snakes; she builds a nest for her eggs
above ground, gathering the material needed in the folds of her body and squeez-
ing it together forming a nest.

King cobras are carnivores and diet on a whole host of different kinds of an-
imals which can vary according to their location. In general they will prey on any
Juvenile small or medium sized animal including birds and other snakes. Once caught,

they do not ‘eat’ their food, they simply swallow it whole. The jaws of a king co-
bra are hinged to allow them to open extraordinarily wide, allowing them to
swallow a whole carcase much larger than its own head. Once it has eaten its fill,
it can go without food for weeks before it eats again. The king cobra has only a
few wild predators, the mongoose being one. It has the speed to surprise it from
behind, grabbing the king cobra by its neck and killing it. The wild boar’s also a
common predator, stalking the ground based nests at mating time and stealing
the eggs. Man however, is the king cobras most prolific predator, hunting it for
Mouth & food, its skin and for medicine.
glottis