Ophiophagus hannah, or the king cobra, reaches 18 feet, or 5.5 meters, in length and 20 pounds or 9.07kg. They can “stand up” to look an adult, of up to 6 feet tall, in the eye.
King cobras are shy and do not attack unless threatened, but when they do attack they growl - similar to dogs. Their bite contains 7 milliliters of venom, that despite not being near the most potent for snakes, is enough to kill 20 people or an adult elephant.
They live in the rain forests and plains of India, southern China, and Southeast Asia, and their coloring can vary greatly. They live in the trees, on land, and in water, feeding mainly on other snakes, lizards, eggs, and small mammals.
National Geographic has more- and, as always, I'm open to suggestions for future posts!
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