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Is a king cobra actually a cobra?

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The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), also known as the hamadryad, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae, endemic to forests from India through Southeast Asia. This serpent is the world's longest venomous snake. Adult king cobras are 3.18 to 4 m (10.4 to 13.1 ft) long. The longest known individual measured 5.85 m (19.2 ft). read more

Despite being called King Cobra, he actually belongs to a genus of its own, called Ophipohagus. The King Cobra, or Ophipohagus Hannah, is classified under the Elapidae family. It is not a member of the Naja genus which include most cobra species, known as “true cobras”. read more

King cobras are generally larger than other cobras, and the stripe on the neck is a chevron instead of a double or single eye shape that may be seen in most of the other Asian cobras. Moreover, the hood of the king cobra is narrower and longer. read more

Although it is named the king cobra, but in reality it doesn't belong to the genus of the true cobras i.e the Najas and is moreover the single and sole member of its genus.It is because of this reason that this snake belongs to the monotypic genus of Ophiophagus. read more

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