King Cobra

Ophiophagus Hannah

Description

The King Cobra is a large snake with a long, narrow fold of skin around its neck. The colors are very diverse, brownish, light green, gray green, gray, brown-black, with or without stripes. The stomach is slightly gray white. Young King Cobra is black with yellow stripes and yellow belly, spesies neurotoxic and highly venomous snake.

Population Size

Decreasing

Life Span

-

WEIGHT​

-

LENGTH

Average total length 3 m, maksimum 4 m

Ar

Arboreal

Ca

Carnivore

Di

Diurnal

No

Nocturnal

Te

Terrestrial

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Chordata

CLASS

:

Reptilia

ORDER

:

Squamata

FAMILY

:

Elapidae

GENUS

:

Ophiophagus

SPECIES

:

Ophiophagus Hannah

Distribution

King Cobra live in forests and plantations up to 2100 m asl. In Bali, the king cobra usually lives around bamboo trees, making nests under piles of dry bamboo leaves.

Geography

Continents : Asia

Country : India including the Andaman Islands, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh. Southern China including Hainan Islands and Hongkong, and southeast Asia including Borneo, Philippines, Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Sulawesi.

Habits and Lifestyle

King Cobra mostly occupies forested areas and thick plantations with vegetation cover. Terrestrial as adult, but juveniles are more arboreal. When disturbed or threatened, may rear, spread hood, and bite.

Lifestyle

Terrestrial and Arboreal

Biome

Tropical forest

Climate Zone

Tropical

Diet and Nutrition

King Cobra are carnivore that eats on other snakes and large lizards such as monitor lizards.

Diet : Carnivora

Mating Habits

King Cobra is spesies oviparous with clutch size of 20 – 51 eggs. Females build nests of dead leaves and stay with the eggs until they hatch, which takes 70 days at 28ºC.

Reproduction session : Rainy season

Incubation periods : 70 days

Independent age : at birth

Baby name : –

Baby carrying : 20 – 51 eggs

Population

Population status : Vulnerable

NE

DD

LC

NT

VU

EN

CR

EW

EX

Population threats​

The species is threatened by habitat destruction from logging and agricultural expansion, as Southeast Asia experiences one of the highest rates of deforestation in the tropics and it is most abundant in forest habitats. This species is harvested for food, and mainly medicinal purposes in China. In Bali, hunting is carried out mainly to supply zoos and international gatherers, but is sometimes found for sale in snake restaurants.

Population number​

Ophiophagus hannah has been assessed as Vulnerable. This species has a wide distribution range, however, it is not common in any area in which it occurs (with the apparent exception of Thailand, and there only in forested areas), is very rare in much of its range, and has experienced local population declines of over 80% over 10 years in parts of its range.

PHOTO GALLERY

Reference

  1. Stuart, B., Wogan, G., Grismer, L., Auliya, M., Inger, R.F., Lilley, R., Chan-Ard, T., Thy, N., Nguyen, T.Q., Srinivasulu, C. & Jelić, D. 2012. Ophiophagus hannah. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: e.T177540A1491874
  2. Somaweera, R. 2017. A Naturalist’s Guide To The Reptiles and Amphibians of Bali. John Beaufoy Publishing, Oxford, England.
  3. McKay, J.L. 2006. Reptil and Amphibi di Bali. Krieger Publishing Company, Florida, USA.