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king cobra
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External Websites
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Institute - King cobra
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - King Cobra and snakebite envenomation: on the natural history, human-snake relationship and medical importance of Ophiophagus hannah
- Animal Diversity Web - King Cobra
- PNAS - The king cobra genome reveals dynamic gene evolution and adaptation in the snake venom system
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Also known as: Ophiophagus hannah, hamadryad
king cobra
Category:
Animals & Nature
- Related Topics:
- cobra venomous snake
king cobra, (Ophiophagus hannah), also called hamadryad, the world’s largest venomous snake, found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia. The snake’s maximum confirmed length is 5.6 metres (18 feet), but most do not exceed 3.6 metres (12 feet). The king cobra is the sole member of its genus. It is classified as part of family Elapidae, the cobra family. Hamadryad, the alternative common name for the snake, is a Greek word meaning “wood nymph.” The main feature that distinguishes the king cobra from other cobras is the possession of 11 large scales on ...(100 of 486 words)