AnimalvsAnimal
King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) in Indonesia🐍

Photo: Max Tibby · CC0

SpeciesElapidae
Reptiles

🐍King cobra

Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836)

眼鏡王蛇（學名：Ophiophagus hannah）亦称大眼镜蛇、扁颈蛇，是世上體型最長的毒蛇，體長可達5.6米（18英尺），分布於喜馬拉雅山脈南麓、印度東北部與西南沿海地區、中國華南、中南半島全境與馬來群島近半數島嶼，主要棲息於樹林中，以其他蛇為主食，在廣州俗稱過山風，香港俗稱過山烏。世上稀有蛇類之一。由於各種因素，眼鏡王蛇被認為是一種非常危险的毒蛇，然而它也在很多地區文化中有著重要的地位。 2024年, 有研究表明，除了眼镜王蛇之外，還存在另外三種眼鏡王蛇屬成員，分別是巽他眼镜王蛇、西高止眼鏡王蛇和呂宋眼鏡王蛇。這些不同的遺傳譜系在地理上相互隔離，並適應特定的生態區域。

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Photos
6
Measurements
9
vs you
≈ 1/8th of your weight
Also called
Hamadryad
Conservation status
VUVulnerable

IUCN Red List assessment, 2012.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
8 kg
Body length
5.85 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
23 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the King cobra

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
8 kgrecord 18 kg · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Body length
5.85 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Maximum lifespan
23 yearsrecord 23 years · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Diet
Carnivorous
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Activity cycle
Diurnal
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Foraging mode
ACT
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Venomous
Yes
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Snout–vent length
5.7 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Other figures ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

By sex

  • Female5.7 mReptTraitsv1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024)
  • Male2.06 mReptTraitsv1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024)
Volume l
8 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for King cobra yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classSquamata
  4. ›familyElapidae
  5. ›genusOphiophagus
  6. ›speciesOphiophagus hannah
Full lineage
  1. superorderLepidosauria
  2. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  3. infraorderSnakes · Serpentes
  4. genusOphiophagus
All 12 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. orderSauria
  9. superorderLepidosauria
  10. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  11. infraorderSnakes · Serpentes
  12. genusOphiophagus
More

More about the King cobra

In other languages
koningscobra (nl), kobra królewska (pl), гамадриад (ru), 眼镜王蛇 (zh), Ophiophagus hannah (es), királykobra (hu) … and 26 more languages
More photos
King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) in IndonesiaA Royal Thai Marine handles a cobra during the jungle survival class at Cobra Gold 2010.A king cobra, found inside a chip can, recovered during Operation Jungle Book.
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