The longest of its kind
It is the longest venomous snake in the world, as long as a car.
Asian jungle
King cobra
Ophiophagus hannah
A very long, olive-brown snake with pale bands, which can rear up and spread a narrow hood.
- Size
- Up to 5m long: the longest venomous snake
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Forests of India and south-east Asia
Winds after you with its hood spread. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
King cobra
Good to know
Six things about the king cobra
A snake eater
It eats mainly other snakes. Its Latin name means snake-eater.
Standing tall
It can raise a third of its body off the ground and still move forward, looking a person in the eye.
A nest builder
The female heaps up leaves into a nest for her eggs and guards it. No other snake does this.
A growl
Its hiss is so low that it sounds like a dog growling.
It would rather leave
For all its power it avoids people, and gives plenty of warning before it strikes.
The real thing
Photos of the king cobra
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
King cobras are rarely seen. They keep to thick forest near streams, and slip away long before most people notice them.
How to help
Snakes are killed out of fear. Rescue groups in India move them safely and teach people how to live alongside them.
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