The king cobra—one of the most ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs snakes on the planet—can literally “stand up” and look a full-grown person in the eye. When confronted, they can lift up to a third of its body off the ground and still move forward to ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ.
Fortunately, king cobras are shy and will avoid humans whenever possible. It will also flare out its iconic hood and emit a hiss that sounds almost like a growling dog.
The average size of a King Cobra is around 3,5 – 4,8 m (12 – 16 feet) with a gracefully long, slender and smooth skinned body. There have been several reports stating that this snake can reach a length of 5,5 m (18 ft), making it the longest ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs snake in the world.
Despite the large size and the elongated hood, King Cobras are born ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀs that are fast, agile and highly venomous. The average lifespan of the King Cobra is around 16 – 18 years. However in ᴄᴀᴘᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ, it can live up to 20 years.
The king cobra is native to India and can be found throughout Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, the Philippine Islands, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Known as being a facile climber and swimmer, the King Cobra inhabits forests that are located close to streams and ponds. The reason behind this is that the species prefers a tropical climate where food is abundant. A rich and blooming forest that houses a number of small rodents and reptiles make up a large part of the King Cobra’s diet. It ᴘʀᴇʏs primarily on small snakes, both ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs and non-venomous, birds and rodents.
King cobra ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ is highly toxic and the snake can deliver a considerable amount in a single ʙɪᴛᴇ, upwards of 200 to 500 mg of venom. The ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ affects the central nervous system, which ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs blurred vision, vertigo, drowsiness,and ᴘᴀʀᴀʟʏsɪs. It then ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs the ᴄᴏʟʟᴀᴘsᴇ of the ᴄᴀʀᴅɪᴏᴠᴀsᴄᴜʟᴀʀ system and eventually ʀᴇsᴘɪʀᴀᴛᴏʀʏ ꜰᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇ. Immediate medical treatment is essential to enhance sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ from a king cobra sɴᴀᴋᴇʙɪᴛᴇ. It is said that ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ can come to a person ʙɪᴛᴛᴇɴ by a king cobra within 30 minutes, depending on the amount of ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ delivered during the envenomation.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the king cobra as ᴠᴜʟɴᴇʀᴀʙʟᴇ to ᴇxᴛɪɴᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. These snakes face a variety of ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛs stemming from human activities. Heavy deforestation in Southeast Asia has destroyed the habitats of many king cobras, while they are also harvested in large numbers for skin, food, and medicinal purposes. They are also collected for the international pet trade. King cobras are also ᴘᴇʀsᴇᴄᴜᴛᴇᴅ by humans who ꜰᴇᴀʀ their menacing reputation.
