King Cobra - Ophiophagus hannah
Description
The longest venomous snake in the world is the King Cobra. This is a snake that has many people worried because of the way they look and the size of them. There are many deaths that they are help responsible for too. However, it is usually from the infection and so proper medical treatment is very important. There are many sub species of Cobras but this is the largest one.
They can grow up to 18 ½ feet! However, in most locations they are going to be about 13 feet in length. When they are fully grown they will weigh about 20 pounds. The males tend to be thicker around and to be longer. They also feature a wide head that is very large overall.
They are fast moving snakes with amazing agility. The color for the King Cobra will depend on the location where they live. They need colors that allow them to have sufficient camouflage. That provides them with the cover they need for finding prey as well as remaining harder for predators to locate.
Olive green is the main base color of most of them. However, you will find those that have black and tan on them. There will always be some types of bands that run over them from the top down. Those will usually be yellow in color. They have a cream or light yellow on the belly.
They feature scales along the belly that are smooth to the touch. They also have very sharp fangs with teeth that turn inward. The overall appearance of the King Cobra gives it a look that appears to be very intense as well as fierce.
Interesting facts about King Cobra
King Cobra – Ophiophagus hannah
Behavior
They have one of the longest forked tongues of all snake species. They use it to help them sense what is going on around them. They are able to smell with it and they also use receptors in their mouth to taste what they smelled. This helps the brain to decide if what is around them is something they may want to eat, if it is a threat, or if they should retreat from it.
This is one of the few species of snakes that has very good vision. They are known to be able to identify prey that is up to 300 feet away from them. They are highly aggressive and will give hissing sounds and hold the head up high when they are going to strike. They often give off such sounds too in an effort to keep other snakes out of their territory.