Although birds and mammals are sometimes taken, the favourite food of the king
A mouse, rat, ground squirrel, or rabbit are its main prey items, but cobras may also eat amphibians, birds, lizards, other snakes, and eggs. Cobras use their forked tongue to smell prey.
This species feeds mainly on other snakes, venomous and nonvenomous. They will also eat lizards, eggs, and small mammals. They are the only snakes in the world that build nests for their eggs, which they guard ferociously until the hatchlings emerge.
King Cobras are the apex predators (top predators) in their food chain, as there are no species that eat King Cobras. King Cobras tend to eat a large amount of food in a short time, then stop eating for months. This is because they take a long time to digest and metabolize the food they eat.
Their diet consists of small reptiles, birds, rodents, frogs, and other small animals they might find on land. They also eat eggs produced by different types of birds. Being picky eaters, king cobras are notorious as predators to cold-blooded animals, especially other snakes.
A full-grown king cobra is yellow, green, brown or black. They usually also have yellowish or white crossbars or chevrons.
King Cobras Fear the Mongoose
The mongoose preys on the king cobra, and they do so very successfully. Mongooses are very tough customers for cobras because they have a high level of agility.
Native to Africa and Asia, including Indonesia, cobras are long, slender snakes that can produce a hood when threatened. The cobra family includes 30 species. To date, no cobra species have naturalised in Australia, but many could thrive in parts of Queensland if introduced.
Introducing one of the world's most impressive venomous snakes – the king cobra! This snake needs to be seen to be believed so keep your eyes peeled in Robert's Reptile House, right here at Australia Zoo.
The hedgehog (Erinaceidae), the mongoose (Herpestidae), the honey badger (Mellivora capensis) and the opossum are known to be immune to a dose of snake venom.
Snakes have cones and rods in their eyes that enable them to see in two-dimensional color: blue and green. How well a snake can see depends on what species it is, where it lives in its natural habitat, and if it is on alert. For example, snakes that hunt during the day—like false water cobras—have great eyesight.
Cobras can't even hear the music because, like all snakes, they're deaf. Like all snakes, the king cobra is venomous.
“Most snakebites, even cobra bites, are not fatal.” Whitaker said. “But any snakebite must be treated as a medical emergency. “The single most important thing to do is to get to a hospital without any delay. Do not resort to any local or home remedy because there is only one cure for a snakebite and that is antivenom.”
A young cobra has enough venom, fully developed fangs and a poison delivery system sufficient enough to kill an adult. It doesn't require an adult cobra to snuff the life out of you; even its hatchlings are capable of it, warn herpetologists.
If a mammal loses its head, it will die almost immediately. But snakes and other ectotherms, which don't need as much oxygen to fuel the brain, can probably live on for minutes or even hours, Penning said.
The "growl" of the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) differs from the "typical" snake hiss in consisting solely of frequencies below 2,500 Hertz, with a dominant frequency near 600 Hertz.
World's Rarest Critically-Endangered Francois' Langur Monkey Born In Australia's Taronga Zoo.
Introducing the most venomous snake in the world and epic predator of the Australian outback! The inland taipan is otherwise known as the fierce snake or small scaled snake.
Before we get to the fun bit, we should note that black mambas are from Africa and inland taipans are from Australia. This means under natural circumstances, the two species would never meet.
They preferred slumbering at the banks of Nile. The tall grasses resembling their skin camouflaging them. Although Queen Cobras were very trusting towards humans, they hardly ever entered their homes. Most likely because they preferred open skies.
The scrub python is found throughout the tropical rainforests of far north Queensland, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. They are the largest snake species to call Australia home. They can reach up to 8 metres (26 feet) long and weigh in excess of 25 kilograms (55 pounds)!
Danger to humans
The Coastal Taipan is often regarded as the most dangerous snake in Australia. They are extremely nervous and alert snakes, and any movement near them is likely to trigger an attack.
The average king cobra is slow enough that a human can outrun it. Their maximum, non-striking speed is about 5 mph, but they cannot maintain that speed for very long.
Among herpetologists, the king cobra has been recognized to be the most intelligent snake species, no doubt about it. Building the nest, and guarding it, awareness, and amazing eyes sights have become a few reasons to give value to this species being remarkable.
King Cobras, like other snakes, smell using their forked tongue which picks up scent particles and transfers them to a special sensory receptor (Jacobson's Organ), located in the roof of its mouth.