Snakes

They don't hibernate like bears, sleeping the winter away. Instead they go below the frost line, using cracks and crevices that would seem claustrophobic to us, but to them are downright comforting. You could say that snakes have claustrophelia. From their point of view, the tighter the safer. Nothing that wants to eat them can squeeze in with them.

Once below the frost line, the temps bottom out at about 52F, and their metabolisms slow down so they don't have to eat. Move a bit, drink water, but not hunt for food. Conserving energy for the spring.

Carnivore, 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 Classification

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 Latinword Ophiophagus 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 are 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.

Cobra bites are fatal in about 10% of human cases. it's because of their VENOM that acts as a defense mechanism and also a way by having their pray or food be caught.

Any of several highly venomous Elapids snakes that expand their neck ribs to form a hood. They are found in warm regions of Africa, Australia, and Asia. Cobras feed primarily on small vertebrates. The Indian cobra (Naja naja) kills several thousand people annually, mostly because it enters houses to catch rats. The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world's largest venomous snake, often more than 12 ft (3.5 m) long. Some African cobras can spit their venom more than 6 ft (1.8 m). Cobras are favourites of snake charmers, who, by their movements rather than their music, tease the deaf snakes into assuming the upreared defense posture.