7 fascinating facts about The King Cobra.
The longest venomous snake in the world is also a Hong Kong resident. But don't worry, it only eats other snakes, with occasional snacks of lizards or small mammals, and there have been no recorded fatalities from this snake to date in Hong Kong.
These two Pictures by Jack Ferguson.
7 interesting facts:
1. A fear of snakes is known as ophidiophobia - and if you have it, you are not alone, as it is one of the most common fears in the world.
2. this snake is venomous, not poisonous. When an animal is poisonous, this means that the animal can be harmful when eaten or touched, in contrast to venomous, when the animal actually delivers the poison, as through a bite.
3. It is the longest venomous snake in the world. The longest captive snake grew to 5.7 meters! In Hong Kong in the wild they are more around 2 meters, with some exceptions.
4. This snake eats mainly other snakes! The scientific name of the king cobra is Ophiophagus hannah, from the Greek ophio “snake” and phagus “to eat”. 5. The female king cobra is one of the very few snakes that cares for its eggs. After laying twenty to fifty eggs in a nest made of twigs and leaves she covers the eggs and rests on top, guarding the eggs until they hatch, which can take up to 90 days.
6. Rare among snakes, this snake has excellent vision.
7. This animal is listed in the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance in Hong Kong....so please do not eat them, or harm them in any way.
Bonus fact, they are very adept swimmers...like all snakes. Photo credit Tan Kit Sun.
Additional bonus fact (its the Spanish inquisition!)....although the Hong Kong King Cobras seem to follow a distinct pattern and colour, there are others, like this huge one in Singapore zoo, that have quite dramatic colour morphs....
