Endangered Species – The King Cobra

This is the largest poisonous snake in the world. They inject enough poison to kill an elephant, or about
a dozen adult humans, in one bite. The King Cobra is black or greenish brown.
They have flat heads with a wide neck. They can be over 5 meters long. They can
move with their head and 1/3 of their body in the air. They can spray venom at
the eyes of their prey.

The King Cobra is found in many countries including India, the Philippines,
Malaysia, and China. They live in the jungle and feed on other snakes, lizards and frogs. The female
builds a nest to put her eggs in. She watches the nest until the babies hatch. The babies are able to hunt
almost immediately after hatching.

They hunt by smell, 'tasting' the air with their forked tongues to find their prey. When they get close,
they use their eyes to see their prey before striking it and injecting venom. Then they swallow their
victim whole while they are still alive. It can take several hours to swallow large prey, but after a large
meal a King Cobra will not have to eat again for a few weeks.

Even though they are so strong, King Cobras are seldom seen. They would rather run away than fight.
Only 2 or 3 people are killed a year by King Cobras. The King Cobra is an endangered species.

Multiple Choice:

1. What colour is a King Cobra

a. Black 6. How does the King Cobra find its prey?
b. Red a. With his nose
c. Purple b. With his tongue
d. Yellow c. With his eyes
2. King Cobras poison can kill an elephant d. With his ears
a. True 7. The King Cobra eats its prey by chewing it?
b. False a. True, the King Cobra has big teeth
3. Where in the world is the King Cobra found? b. False, the King Cobra its prey
a. North America whole
b. Russia 8. How many people are killed by King Cobras a
c. Africa year?
d. India a. None
4. What does the King Cobra eat? b. 2-3
a. Insects c. 100
b. Turtles d. 5000
c. Lizards 9. Venom is:
d. Deer a. Poison
5. King Cobras ‘smell’ with their tongue b. Food
a. True c. Blood
b. False d. Water
10. King Cobras lay eggs like a chicken?
a. True
b. False