THE KING COBRA FROM THE JUNGLES OF INDIA
The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world's longest venomous snake, growing to a length of 5.6 m (18.5 ft) and a weight of up to 9 kg (20 lbs).The king cobras can raise their 1/3 of body straight off ground and still move forward to attack.This species is quite widespread, ranging throughout south-eastern Asia and into India. Its genus name, Ophiophagus, literally means "snake-eater", and its diet primarily consists of other snakes, including sizeable pythons and even smaller members of its own species. The venom of the King Cobra is primarily neurotoxic, and the snake is fully capable of killing a human with a single bite. The mortality rate can be as high as 75%; Fortunately, king cobras are shy and will avoid humans whenever possible, but they are fiercely aggressive when cornered.
The King Cobra is a large , powerfully-built snake. The record-sized wild cobra was shot in the Nakhon Sritamart Mountains of south Thailand and was 5.6 m (18.5 ft). An even larger cobra was kept captive at the London zoo and grew to 5.7 m (18.8 ft) before being euthanized upon the outbreak of World War 2. The skin is either olive-green, tan, or black and it has faint, pale yellow cross bands down the length of the body. The underbelly is cream or pale yellow, and the scales are smooth. The head of mature snake can be quite massive and bulky in appearance, though like all snakes, they can expand their jaws to swallow large prey items. It has proteroglyph dentition, meaning it has two short, fixed fangs in the front of the mouth which channel venom into the prey like hypodermic needles. The male is larger and thicker than the female.
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