Here is a short, power packed presentation that talks about the life of king cobras and our research at the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station.

1. King Cobra ( Ophiophagus hannah ) … . a presentation. By : Gowri Shankar, Agumbe Rainforest Research Station Blog: http://pogirigowrishankar.wordpress.com/ Website: www.agumberainforest.com

2. Classification Cantor, 1836 Class : Reptilia Order : Squamata Family : Elapidae Genus : Ophiophagus Species : hannah KING COBRA ( Ophiophagus hannah )

3. KING COBRA ( Ophiophagus hannah ) from the Western Ghats

5. Size: Grows up to 15 feet and weighs ~ 6-8Kg.” Colour : Black or olive green with yellow stripes Food: Other snakes and rarely monitor lizards. Breeding Season: February to March Reproduction: Males perform a combat and then mate with a female. Nesting: Females build a nest and lay eggs (nos. 20-50) which hatch in 90-113 days. Habitat : Heavy rainfall areas, Tropical moist forests, bamboo thickets.

6. King cobra feeding on rat snake Cannibalism: King cobra feeding on another king cobra Feeding: King cobras primarily feed on other snakes, including their own kind and rarely monitor lizards .

7. Male Combat: Typically two males engage in a fight called combat to mate with a female or for territory. Courtship: is characterised by the male moving over the female with constant head butting, tongue flicking and tail twisting. The female displays submissive behaviour by spreading her hood flat, close to the ground

8. Nest: Female builds a Nest with leaf litter and lays an average clutch of 20 to 50 eggs Hatchlings emerge after 85 to 113 days and remain close to the nest surviving on remnants of yolk till their first shedding. On an average they weigh ~20gm and measure ~50cm in length

12. THANK YOU Please contact us for any queries and would appreciate if you can share any reports about king cobras in your area: Agumbe Rainforest Research Station Suralihalla, Agumbe, Thirthahalli Taluk Shimoga District-577411 Karnataka Phone No: 08181-292081 Website: www.agumberainforest.com Email Id: gowrishankar.arrs@gmail.com