Description
English: A mighty King Cobra from Parassinikkadavu Snake Park (Kannur).
The mini zoo has spacious enclosures for king cobra and other snakes as part of the diversification programme for developing natural habitats in the zoo.
The initiatives included conservation and breeding of endangered species such as king cobra, lion-tailed macaque, and other flora and fauna found in the region.
Date 4 October 2014, 00:17:16
Author Vishnukanayathil
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_King_Cobra.jpg

The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Asia, and is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia. This species is the world's longest venomous snake, with a maximum length (including tail) of 5.6 to 5.7 m. Despite the word "cobra" in its common name, this snake is not a member of the Naja genus (the "true cobras"), which contains most cobra species, but the sole member of its own genus.
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Ophiophagus
Species: Ophiophagus hannah Cantor, 1836
Synonyms:
Dendraspis bungarus (Schlegel, 1837)
Dendraspis hannah (Cantor, 1836)
Hamadryas elaps Günther, 1858
Hamadryas hannah Cantor, 1836
Hamadryas ophiophagus Cantor, 1838
Naja bungarus Schlegel, 1837
Naja hannah (Cantor, 1836)
Naja ingens Van Hasselt, 1882
Naja vittata Elliott, 1840
Ophiophagus elaps (Günther, 1858)