It eats pythons and smaller members of its own species. It is uniformly olive, brown, or green in color with rings like cross bands of black. It protects itself by biting, and spitting venom. The King Cobra’s venom is also called neurotoxin. It is capable of spraying venom from a distance of 2.4 m (8 ft.). Their venom is not the most potent among venomous snakes, but the amount of neurotoxin they can deliver in a single bite is enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant. King cobras are basically shy and will avoid humans whenever possible, but they are fiercely aggressive when cornered.

When it is excited or scared it will spread the lose skin on its neck into a ‘hood’. There are false eyespots on the hood which is used to scare some predators. Juvenile king cobras shed skin every month, while adult ones shed their skin 4 to 6 times a year. King cobras generally breed from January to April. A female king cobra lays 20 to50 eggs in a nest she constructs from leaves and sticks. The female guards the nest and after 65 to 80 days the eggs will start to hatch. Hatchlings measure 18 to 20 inches in length and possess bright marks. Juveniles are jet-black in color and have white or yellow crossbars on the body and four crossbars on the head. King cobras, like other snakes, smell using their forked tongues, which has the capability to pick up scented particles and transfer them to a special sensory receptor located at the roof of the mouth. Whenever it scents the smell of a meal or a prey, it will flick its tongue to detect the prey's direction. King cobras hunt at all times of day, although it is rarely seen at night, leading some to wrongly classify it as a diurnal species. After a large meal it can live for many months without another meal due to an extremely slow metabolic rate.

King cobras can live up to 20 years in captivity. One king cobra lived up to 26 years in a Philadelphia zoo. King cobras are more intelligent than true cobras, and can differentiate caretakers from strangers. The king cobra is worshiped in India, especially on the festive occasion of Nag Panchami and is depicted in sculptures on temple walls and celebrated in myths and legends. The venom of king cobras has a paralyzing effect on the nerves and is useful in developing the painkillers used to treat arthritis patients.

Habitat of King Cobras

It is found in Burma, China, India, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa and Thailand. The largest king cobras have been found in peninsular Malaysia. They are found near streams in both dense and open forests, as well as bamboo stands and agricultural areas, for instance, tea plantations. They also inhabit tropical mangrove swamps. In Southern India, herpetologist Romulus Whitaker has set up the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station and plans to establish the world's first king cobra sanctuary. It inhabits the endangered rain forests of the Western Ghats. It has also been found in mountainous regions up to 6,500 feet above the sea level. The greatest threat has been from human encroachment and the resultant habitat loss has resulted in dwindling numbers of this snake. King Cobras can slide up trees and bushes and spend a good amount of time above the ground, looking for prey. King cobras are also good swimmers.

Though the snake is still present in considerable numbers, there is a pressing need to conserve this unique and magnificent snake. Preservation of their natural habitats is the best method to save it. It is too good a natural treasure for mankind to lose.

By Prabhakar Pillai : Buzzle.com