The King Cobra or Hamadryad, Ophiophagus hannah – natural history and zoological park husbandry – Part 2

To read the first part of this article, click here.

Field Research on Nesting King Cobras
Famed herpetologist Romulus Whitaker took on the “quite invigorating” as he put it, task of disturbing nesting king cobras to determine just how far their protective instincts extended. He was early on in the research when last we spoke, but found that most retreated after an extended threat display – I imagine that the display of an angry king cobra serves well-enough to dissuade adversaries less-determined than the unshakable Mr. Whitaker!

Captive Breeding – my experience
The king cobra’s taste for other snakes complicates breeding efforts in zoos. During my years as a zoo keeper I experienced several successes and failures. I once housed a pair in adjoining exhibits, separated by a screen panel, for 3 months in order to gauge their reactions to each other. They seemed to get along well and, indeed, co-habited peacefully for several weeks. Always well fed, there were no signs of aggression. Unfortunately, however, there was also no sign of the female one morning – the 12 foot long male had swallowed all 8 feet of her – quite a feat even for a snake!
Working With King Cobras
Although rumored to be aggressive in nature, king cobras often (but not always!) flee when confronted by humans if given the opportunity. Captives are, however, extremely alert and seem, at least upon casual observation, to evince learning abilities not possessed by other snakes. I have always preferred to house them in exhibits equipped with shift cages, into which the snake may be secured before I entered the exhibit – they are just too fast to work with close at hand (my predecessors at the Bronx Zoo seemed to feel likewise – in an old storage area I came across an old wooden “cobra shield” – I like to think it may have been used by the eminent Raymond Ditmars, first reptile curator at the Bronx Zoo). When shifts are not available, I exercise extreme caution and, as with all venomous snakes, alert co-workers of my whereabouts.
King cobras are notorious escape artists, even for snakes, and the cause of much lost sleep in the zoo world. Some years ago a major zoo was closed down for 3 days while an escaped specimen was at large (it was, luckily, re-captured without incident). I’ll relate my own experience with 3 escaped spitting cobras in a future article.
Cobra Classification and Venom
King cobras and the 300 or so other members of the family Elapidae are known as “Proteroglyphous Snakes” – a term referring to the fact that their hollow, venom conducting teeth (fangs) are fixed in position and cannot be erected as can those of the vipers and their relatives (the Solenoglyphus Snakes).
Cobras inject venom by biting and employing a chewing motion, and cannot utilize the stab and release action of the vipers. The venom of most species is highly effective, and large specimens can deliver huge quantities of venom in a single bite. It is often said that an adult king cobra may carry enough venom to “kill a small elephant” – while that is difficult to quantify, a cobra of any species is a most dangerous animal.
Other Cobras and Their Relatives
Elapids reach their greatest diversity in Australia, dominating the snake fauna there. There are over 50 species in the Americas, with coral snakes being the only representatives found in the USA. Arboreal, aquatic and burrowing forms occur in Africa and Asia. Several African cobras can eject venom at the eyes of enemies (they hunt in usual cobra fashion), an adaptation to life in grasslands populated by large hoofed mammals. Sea snakes, kraits and mambas are related to cobras and also classified as Elapids.
The Cobras’ Hood
The defensive display of cobras involves rearing up and flaring out a wide hood of skin about the head and upper body. This is accomplished by raising a series of elongated ribs, which in turn stretch the skin between them to form the hood. A large king cobra may raise over 4 feet of its body from the ground when agitated – a most impressive (and convincing!) display.

King Cobra

Mr. Krishna Ghule handled a "King Cobra ". He is Master in Snake Handling.... hope one day i will catch like this snake...as 4 baar snake baju & perkeh niche seh gayah but kuch nahi keya..tab se lub snake se hogayah

King Cobra of Wt - 16 Kg, length - 12' - 3", Seized in Goa.


one of mine fav animal king cobra  , i saw documentary film on discovery channel yrs back, the king cobra " mostly known as "Nag Raja"..
it can stand above till 3 feets & eats mostly other snakes...for more detail here... but ENTER if u dare ---> click
and its find mostly in india


well some points -
1. The king cobra sheds its skin at the beginning of the breeding season.

2. The king cobra is the longest of the venomous snaks.

3. The king cobra lives in forest areas, gliding silently through
the undergrowth.

4. The king cobra venom attacks the nervons system, the victim suffers pain, blurred vision, and dizziness.

5. In Burma, king cobras are used in snake charming acts.

6. The king cobra has ribs in its neck !



The King Cobra is the largest venomous snake. The solitary King Cobra lives in rainforests, tropical deciduous forests, tropical scrub forests, and tropical grasslands of India, southern China, and southeast Asia. Several of people die from the bite of the King Cobra each year. A King Cobra can even kill an elephant.
The King Cobra can slither on land, climb on trees, and swim on water; it often lives near water. It has a life span of about 20 years.

The Hood: When the King Cobra is threatened or on the attack, it will hiss, rear up, and flatten its neck ribs into a hood. There are false eyespots on the hood, which can scare some predators.

Anatomy: King Cobras have been found up to 18 feet (5.5 m) long, but average about 13 ft (4 m) long. Its hollow fangs are up to 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) long. Poison is forced through the fangs when the cobra bites. The scaly skin glistens but is dry to the touch. Adults are yellow, green, brown, or black; the throat is light yellow or cream-colored. Juveniles are black with yellow or white bars crossing the body. The King Cobra smells using its forked tongue. Although it is deaf to sounds, it can feel vibrations (like footsteps).

Like all snakes, King Cobras are cold-blooded; they are the same temperature as the environment. They continue to grow all their lives, getting bigger and bigger each year.

Hunting and Diet: The King Cobra is a carnivore (meat-eater). King Cobras are venomous; one bite can paralyze and kill their prey within minutes. The victim dies from suffocation, as the lungs and heart stop.

Like all snakes, they swallow the prey whole, head first. The top and bottom jaws are attached to each other with stretchy ligaments, which let the snake swallow animals wider that itself. Snakes can't chew their prey; food is digested by very strong acids in the snake's stomach.

The King Cobra eats mostly cold-blooded animals, including snakes (like the rat snake) and lizards. After swallowing a large animal (which can take hours), the King Cobra can go without food for months.

Reproduction: Female King Cobras build a leafy nest early in spring; they lay up to 20 to 50 white, leathery eggs, which have an incubation period of 60 to 70 days. Nesting females are very dangerous.

Classification: Class Reptilia (reptiles), Order Squamata (lizards and snakes), Suborder Serpentes, Family Elapidae, Genus Ophiophagus, Species hannah.