King cobras are the world's longest venomous snakes. They have a hood similar to that of the true cobras and the rinkhals. If disturbed, they will flare their hood and rear up, often to a greater height than a standing man. King cobras can slither forward while rearing, allowing them to advance on an antagonist while still presenting their threat display. Their hiss is low pitched, and often described as "growling."
The venom of a king cobra is not particularly toxic compared to that of many of the other elapids - but they have a lot of it! The sheer volume of venom injected makes these snakes extremely dangerous.
King cobras are found primarily in dense highland forests of south Asia. They prey primarily on other snakes, although if starving they will eat other vertebrates.
A gravid female king cobra will construct a nest of leaves or other debris in which to lay her eggs. She will guard the nest until the eggs hatch, some 60 to 90 days later. Anyone approaching is likely to be treated to a threat display, and will be attacked if they do not heed the warning.