King cobra

The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the largest venomous snake and the only elapid whose diet is mainly other snakes. Adults typically measure 3.18–4 m and 4–10 kg, males exceeding females, with a reliable maximum of 5.85 m; a pair of large occipital scales and an inverted V mark on the hood separate it from true cobras. It ranges from South and Southeast Asia to southern China in forest, bamboo and farmland up to about 2,000 m. The IUCN assessed it as Vulnerable in 2012. Clutches of 7–43 eggs are incubated for 66–105 days, the female guarding the nest.