King Cobras, Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor 1836), in a sub-Himalayan grassland ecosystem: A note on their conservation significance
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: K ing Cobras (Ophiophagus hannah), the world's larg- est venomous snakes that can reach lengths to 5.85 m, are active mostly during the day and feed primarily on other snakes (Das et al. 2008).This species is unique among snakes as it constructs nests reaching heights to about 60 cm (Shankar et al. 2013; Titus and Pereira 2013).King Cobras mate early in the rainy season and females lay clutches of 20-40 eggs, which hatch after about 110 days (Titus and Pereira 2013).These snakes occupy diverse habitats that include lowland wet tropical forests, coastal rainforests, tropical and subtropical wet montane forests, dry forests, swamps, marshes, mesic open scrublands, plantations, cultivated areas, alluvial and terai grasslands, mangrove swamps, open country, disturbed areas, and areas near human habitations (Narayan and Rosalind 1989; David and Vogel 1996).Widely distributed in southern Asia and throughout much of India (Uetz et al. 2025), in Assam the species has been recorded in Dibrugarh, Tezpur, Margherita, and the North Cachar Hill District, the Garbhanga Reserved Forest (RF), along the Kulsi River in Kamrup District (Das et al. 2008), and Bansbari, Kasimdaha, and the Kuribeel Grassland in Manas National Park (Narayan and Rosalind 1989).King Cobras currently are listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (Stuart et al. 2012) and, in India, are protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 (Ministry of Law and Justice 2022).Habitats in Manas National Park are of five main types: woodland, savannah grasslands, alluvial grasslands, bodies of water, and areas covered by river sand (Ghosh et al. 2014; Fig. 1).Savannah grasslands are characterized by tall grasses, such as Saccharum narenga, Imperata cylindrica, Phragmites karka, Arundo donax, Saccharum spontaneum, Themeda arundinacea, Saccharum procerum, and Vetiveria zizanioides, interspersed with trees like Bombax ceiba and Dillenia pentagyna.
Source: Reptiles & Amphibians
Institution: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204498093