KING COBRA
by Tony H.	My Poem

The king cobra is a reptile. It is not a true cobra. It has no legs. It crawls on its belly because it has larger, flatter scales there. The size for babies is 12 inches. Adults average over 12 feet but up to 18 feet. Their skin has different patterns and is smooth. They can be three colors: black, brown or gray. The king cobra has a windpipe that almost comes out of its mouth. This lets them eat their big prey and breathe at the same time. It has two fangs in the front that are short, sharp, and hollow. The king cobra has poison called venom. It is strong enough to kill an elephant. Muscles pump the venom through the fangs into their prey. The king cobra spreads its ribs in its neck to bring out it's hood. On some king cobra's hoods the design looks like eyes.

The king cobra eats other snakes. It also eats other cobras. They hunt in the late afternoon or early evening to stay out of the heat. It chases its food instead of ambushing it. It hisses real loud and spreads out its hood to scare its prey. Some play dead to escape their enemy.

King cobras live in India, China, and the Philippines. They live in the jungle near water, well hidden. They are a great climber and great swimmer.

Snakes do not have eyelids. Their eyes are covered by a clear cover. The cover is part of its skin. They cannot see very well. The king cobra uses something called the organ of Jacobsom to taste and smell things its tongue gets. It uses its nose only to breathe.

A female king cobra will make a next by piling up bamboo stalks, brances and grass. It makes it with a top and bottom. She lays 50 eggs on the bottom one and guards from the top nest. The male king cobra is close to protect the eggs too. Cobras live about 20 years.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

COBRAS. By Sherie Bargar, 23 pages.

THE COBRA. By Carl R. Green and William R. Sanford, 46 pages