How to distinguish between king cobra, common cobra, and rat snake.

Many accidents occur because people cannot distinguish between these snake species.

The king cobra, the rat snake, and the common cobra are three species of snakes with many distinct characteristics, yet many people, unless they are experts or snake catchers, still confuse these three species.

One of the most serious misunderstandings is the confusion between king cobras and rat snakes (non-venomous but quite aggressive). This article will provide you with the most basic knowledge to quickly identify these three snake species.

Distinguishing between King Cobra (Scientific name: Ophiophagus hannah) and Common Cobra

Although the king cobra is called a cobra, it does not belong to the genus Naja (true cobras) but is the only member of the genus Ophiophagus. Therefore, it has many external characteristics that differ from true cobra species.

First, there's the length, which is quite impressive at first glance because the king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world, while other cobra species have much shorter bodies. If the snake flares its hood, we can observe the coloration beneath the hood and the patterns behind its neck.

King cobras have a turmeric-yellow skin under their neck, with an inverted V-shaped pattern behind it , whereas the skin under the neck of common cobras is not yellow and does not have the bright, inverted V-shaped pattern behind the neck.

The king cobra has very distinctive scales on its head compared to other common cobra species. (Photo: Thanh Luan).

The scales on the top of the king cobra's head are also quite different from those of a common cobra. Specifically, you can quickly distinguish them by looking at the red scales (pictured above) of the king cobra (common cobras do not have these two large scales).

The eyes of the king cobra are also very different, with a distinctly round pupil (like a human eye) that looks very fierce, whereas the common cobra's pupil is not clearly visible and is just a uniform black color.

Distinguishing between king cobra and rat snake (scientific name: Ptyas mucosa)

Tiger and king cobra. (Illustrative photo: Thanh Luan).

What causes many people to confuse these two snake species is the pattern ( bright-colored circles) running along their bodies, which at first glance look very similar. Both are also snakes with impressive lengths, making them difficult to distinguish based on length alone.

The heads of the two species are quite different, so look at the head to identify them. The head of the king cobra is elongated and very small , while the king cobra has a very large head with large scales. When moving, the king cobra also usually raises its head instead of crawling on the ground like the king cobra.

1. How to distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes
2. How to distinguish between a banded krait and a common krait.
3. Video: Guide to distinguishing different types of cobras in Vietnam