The male may fight, or "neck wrestle," with another male for breeding rights. Through her molt, the female releases pheromones, which attract males. The king cobra, which matures sexually at about five or six years of age, starts its breeding season in January, following a molt. After a large meal, the snake, which has a low metabolic rate, can live for months before it must eat again. If its preferred prey runs scarce, the king cobra will feed on smaller vertebrates, including reptiles, birds and rodents. It preys primarily on other snakes, both non-venomous and venomous. Subspecies: Occurring both on mainland and islands across southeastern Asia, the king cobra may have evolved into several different subspecies, although naturalists have yet to fully define the taxonomic classification for the snake, according to the Philadelphia Zoo.ĭistributed across southeast Asia, from India eastward to southern China and southward to the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, the king cobra - a facile climber and swimmer - favors densely forested habitats with lakes, ponds and streams.Even in the small volumes (up to two tenths of a fluid ounce) injected by the snake when it bites, the venom is so toxic that it can swiftly kill even the largest animals. Venom: The king cobra's venom - a neuro- and cardiotoxic stew of polypeptide, proteins and other compounds - affects a victim's central nervous system, triggering intense pain, swelling, elevated blood pressure, blurred vision, paralysis, unconsciousness and, ultimately, death.
It sees well, with eyesight able to detect potential prey or threats more than 100 yards away. It "smells" with its forked tongue and Jacobson's organ, which allow it to detect and track prey.
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It sheds, or molts, several times a year, as it grows, gaining not only a new skin but new eye caps as well. Its back may range from tan to brown to black to olive green, and its belly, from cream-colored to a pale yellow.
It issues a distinctive hiss, which sounds more like a snarl than a typical reptilian hiss. The king cobra, if challenged, responds by aggressively raising the forward third of its body, with its head several feet above the ground, and spreading the iconic hood around its neck. Long, graceful, powerful and deadly, the appropriately named king cobra, of southeastern Asia, holds an almost exalted position atop the hierarchy of the venomous snakes of the world.