1. What makes it so unique from all other Snakes? King Cobra is the longest venomous snake on the planet. The King, or Hamadryad, as he is sometimes called, holds the record length of 24 feet for a Venomous snake. Bill Haast, the famous Snake and Venom expert who is a great friend of John Klein (founder of Cobras.org), once claimed he encountered a 35-feet King Cobra (!) during the 1960’s. The Hamadryad is also unique for the remarkable fact he is the only snake in the world that makes a nest for its eggs! He scraps up leaves and other debris in which to deposit them, and remains in the nest until the young hatch. Isn’t that remarkable?
2. How heavy can it get? The heaviest known King Cobra was kept at the New York Zoological Park during the 70’s. It weighed 12.7 kg (28 lb) and was 4.4 m (14 ft) long. The male king is usually larger and thicker than the female.
3. Can it really stand up? The King Cobra’s enormous length does not hinder it’s elastic movement though. It is actually a thin snake, with an amazing ability to raise up a third of its entire body and keep on moving forward, attacking and hissing. It will actually stand up and look right into your eyes. Feeling scared?
4. How does a King react? When it feels threatened, the King Cobra and his bronze eyes will flare out his majestic hood and emit a hair-raising hiss. This growling sound by itself will scare off most enemies of the Cobra.
5. Where can it be found? The King Cobra species was first described in 1836 by a Danish naturalist by the name of Theodore Edward Cantor. The King can be found in the Philippines, Malaysia, southern China, Burma, and the Malay Peninsula.
Look at this great BBC clip of a King Cobra encounter:
6. Why is he called “King”? Despite being called King Cobra, he actually belongs to a genus of its own, called Ophipohagus. The King Cobra, or Ophipohagus Hannah, is classified under the Elapidae family. It is not a member of the Naja genus which include most cobra species, known as “true cobras”. The Ophipohagus Hannah has 11 large scales on his head which resemble a King’s crown, hence his majestic name. By the way, Ophiophagus is the latin word for “Snake Eater”. So YES, King Cobras eat other snakes, as you’ll see later…
7. So how do you distinguish the King from all the other Cobras? Well, the King is far larger than other cobras, while its hood is narrower and longer. The easiest way of identifying a King Cobra, is by it’s pair of large scales at the back of its head. These are unique to the King. The colors of King Cobras can vary depending on their geographic location. The Kings in China are usually dark brown or even black, banded with yellow, white or brown. The Kings in India are mostly olive green with yellow bands, while the Kings is Southeast Asia will usually be completely olive green or yellow-green.
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