What Is The Scientific Name Of King Cobra? (ANSWERS)

SCIENTIFIC NAME OF KING COBRA – In this topic, we are going to know and identify the binomial or scientific name of King cobra.

Also known as the hamadryad, it is a snake from the venomous snake family Elapidae. The snake is endemic to forests from India through Southeast Asia.

The species is threatended by habitat destruction and has been under the Vulnerable category on the IUCN Red List. It is known as the longest venomous snake in the world.

The snake preys mainly on other snakes and occasionally, lizards and rodents. It is also a prominent symbol in mythology and folk traditions of India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. It is also India’s native reptile.

Scientific name

The binomial name of King cobra is Ophiophagus hannah.

Ophiophagus is a genus of venomous snake family Elapidae of which King cobra is its sole species. It is derived from its propensity to eat snakes. It came from the Greek word which means “snake-eating”.

The species name hannah, on the other hand, is name of tree-dwelling nymphs in Greek mythology, Its alternative name is hamadryad.