King cobra

King cobra
King cobra
Conservation status
Vulnerable
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Elapidae Subfamily: Elapinae Genus: Ophiophagus Species: O. hannah
Binomial name
Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836)
Synonyms
Hamadryas hannah Cantor 1836 Naja bungarus Schlegel, 1837 Hamadryas ophiophagus Cantor, 1838 Naja vittata Elliot, 1840 Dendraspis bungarus Fitzinger, 1843 Hamadryas elaps Günther, 1858 Ophiophagus elaps Günther, 1864 Naja ingens Van Hasselt, 1882 Naia bungarus Wall, 1908 Naja hannah Taylor, 1922 Naja hannah Smith, 1943 Ophiophagus hannah Bogert, 1945 Naja hannah Tweedie, 1954 Dendraspis hannah hannah Deraniyagala, 1960 Dendraspis hannah borneensis Deraniyagala, 1960 Dendraspis hannah bungarus Deraniyagala, 1960 Dendraspis hannah elaps Deraniyagala, 1960 Dendraspis hannah sinensis Deraniyagala, 1960 Dendraspis hannah vittata Deraniyagala, 1960 Dendraspis hannah brunnea Deraniyagala, 1961 Dendraspis hannah nordicus Deraniyagala, 1961 Ophiophagus hannah Welch, 1994 Ophiophagus hannah Manthey & Grossmann, 1997 Ophiophagus hannah Cox et al, 1998 Ophiophagus hannah Sang et al, 2009

The King cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the largest venomous snake in the world, capable of growing up to a maximum length of 5.5 m (18.04 ft). Despite the word "cobra" in its name, this snake is not a member of the Naja ("true cobras") genus. Ophiophagus is monotypic genus created for this elapid whose main prey is other snakes, including other venomous snakes and small pythons. This species' range spans from the forests of India through much of Southeast Asia to Indonesia and the Philippines. This is a very elusive species, rarely seen and rarely bites humans, when it does, however, the mortality rate is generally low.