Native to south and southeast Asia, the King Cobra is the largest venomous snake in the world.
This is a sub adult, but they can grow somewhere between 10 and 13 feet long, but the longest ever recorded was an individual from modern-day Malaysia living at the London Zoo in the mid-20th century. From end to end, the King Cobra was measured 18 feet, 9 inches long.
I read somewhere that the King cobra has the longest tongue of any snake, and this photo seems to bear this out.
They are the only known snake to actually build a nest for their eggs. Once the eggs are laid by the mother, she very aggressively guards them.
the following information is taken from our sister site: www.hongkongsnakeid.com for all your hong kong snakey needs:
Ranging in color though generally black/brown/tan in color with distinct banding, often taking on a goldish hue. Very large, King Cobras can grow to lengths of up to 6 meters. When not displaying its hood the King Cobra can easily be mistaken for a rat snake at a quick glance. Juveniles are very different from mature specimens displaying very sharp contrasting black and yellow bands. Both mature and juvenile King Cobras will display their hood and rise up when defensive. Adults also show very large head scales.
