King Cobras are pale olive or yellow olive in color with a pale yellow veneer. Individuals from India are crossbanded with yellow and a black posterior, whereas Chinese variants are black-brown crossbanded with pale white or ivory. Male King Cobras tend to be longer and thicker than female King Cobras.

The King Cobra lives in much of Mainland Southeast Asia and Northern India to Southeastern China through the Malay Peninsula to western Indonesia and the Philippines. The snake has a preference for living in areas dotted with lakes and streams. King Cobra populations have dropped in some areas of its range due to the destruction of forests, but despite this snake is not listed by the IUCN as in danger of becoming extinct. It is however listed as an Appendix II Animal within CITES.

King Cobras only eat other snakes.

The King Cobra has few natural enemies as an adult, but the juveniles do. They are preyed upon by mongoose, civets, army ants, and giant centipedes.

King Cobras belong to the same family as coral snake and mambas. Not all types of snakes popularly called cobras may be directly related to the same ancestors. Rearing up to display a flatten neck that forms a hood and spraying venom are abilities that apparently that evolved more than once in different members of the elapid family of snakes.

King Cobras mate annually and are the only snakes known to construct an actual nest for their eggs. Prior to laying eggs, the female uses her coils to gather material together such as branches, dead leaves and similar vegetation. This can result in a simple clump or an elaborate two tiered construct where the female lays to 50 eggs in the lower compartment and coils atop them in the upper chamber. The female then remains atop the nest throughout the day incubation period, while the male remains in the vicinity until the hatchlings emerge. Neonates are 18-20”long and banded in black and white.

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