What are king cobras?

Answer 1

It's preferred diet is mainly other venomous and non-venomous snakes but includes small reptiles, birds and amphibians as well.

General Information

King Cobra Scientific Cassification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Suborder: Serpentes

Family: Elapidae

Genus: Ophiophagus

Species: O. Hannah

The largest poisonous snake would be the King Cobra(Ophiophagus hanna), the Latin wordOphiophagus means "Snake-eater". The king cobras average size is 13-14 ft. (3.96-4.26m) weighing around 20 lbs (9 kg), they can reach a length of around 18.5ft (5.6388m) weighing over 40lbs. (18.1436kgs.) and lives in the Rainforest's and grasslands of Southeast Asia, India and China. Color is generally tan, olive-green or black with faint pale yellow cross bands, the females lay around 50 eggs, the king cobras are the only snakes who construct a nest for their hatchlings which they incubate and protect until they emerge in 60 to 80 days, the young are called Hatchlings and about 1.5 ft. (50cm ) long at birth, the King cobra is very fast and agile with an average lifespan of about 20 years.

Although not the most toxic of poisonous snakes a king cobra can kill an elephant with one bite, the king cobra tracks by site and smell then kills it's prey by striking and injecting it with venom and swallowing it whole, it's preferred diet is mainly other venomous and non-venomous snakes but includes small reptiles, birds and amphibians as well. King Cobras are aggressive and will rear up to confront the intruder where most other cobras will slither away and hide. The only predators are the mongoose and man.

Answer 2

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.

King Cobra HabitsDaily 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.

Breeding: King cobras shed their skins at the beginning of the breeding season. When the female sheds her skin, a scent or pheromone is released, which attracts a male to her. They may remain entwined for many hours while he fertilises her. Unlike most snakes, king cobras can form stable pairs, and the male and the female may co-operate in searching for a nest. Once a site has been found, the male lurks nearby, ready to fight off any egg-eating predators. About 20-50 white eggs are laid by the female. Newly-hatched king cobras are glossy white with yellow stripes, and are already about 50cm long. They are able to hunt almost immediately.King cobra venom is very toxic. A single bite can kill an Indian elephant in three hours, provided a vulnerable spot is bitten. The fangs of the king cobra are around 15mm long, but can deliver more venom than any other snake except the gaboon viper. When threatened, the king cobra can raise itself up to one third of its length - in some cases this is taller than a man. It is also able to flatten the ribs of its neck into an intimidating hood to make itself appear larger. However, the king cobra is not an aggressive snake, and is much more likely to glide away than to attack

Answer 3

Like all predators, they keep the numbers of prey species from exploding out of control.

Answer 4

The king corbra is very close to indian cobra spitting cobra and the egyptain cobra

Answer 5

King cobras are in the animal kingdom.

Answer 6

Humans