King Cobra vs. Python: Which Deadly Snake Would Win in a Fight?

It’s a big snake battle! Who will win in this king cobra vs. python matchup?

A king cobra can grow 18 feet long, making it the longest venomous snake in the world. Lifting its body off the ground, this snake could look you in the eyes. And when it’s time to fight, king cobras expand their ribs and neck muscles to create an intimidating hood.

The python is one of the biggest nonvenomous snakes in the world. Fossils dating back 48 million years indicate that pythons originate from Europe. These constrictor snakes grab their prey with teeth and then use death by squeeze tactic to cause circulatory or cardiac arrest.

Which one of these deadly snakes will be the winner? Read on as we reveal more about each species to determine the worthy champion.

Overview: King Cobra

It would take only one bite from a king cobra to kill a human in 30 minutes. Their venom is a unique blend of toxins they deliver to their victims through hollow fangs fixed to their top jaw. You can find these tough guys slithering around the forest of India, Southeast Asia, and Southern China. They can survive in rivers, swamps, grasslands, rainforests, and savannahs. It’s common to see a king cobra zipping up a tree or swimming in the water. These snakes are big and fast.

King Cobra: Size and Speed

King cobras have an average length of 10 to 13 ft but can grow much larger. There are records of them growing 18 ft long, and experts believe they can even surpass those lengths. A king cobra captured in Thailand measured 18 ft 4 in long.

King cobras can move their bodies at speeds of 12 mph. This snake will lie quietly, waiting for prey, and then quickly lunge its large body, delivering a fatal bite. Their venom is potent enough to kill a 13,000-pound elephant in 3 hours. So it won’t be difficult to subdue a 250-pound python.

King Cobra: Attack Abilities

The critical factor in this king cobra vs. python animal battle is our first competitor’s deadly neurotoxin. The potent venom directly impacts the prey’s nervous system, killing large animals with a single bite. It only takes a little bit of the venom to paralyze prey.

One of the king cobras’ favorite things to eat is other snakes. Sometimes they develop a taste for one particular type of snake, like 10-foot-long reticulated pythons in Southeast Asia. Sometimes they dine on giant monitor lizards, claws and all.

Flicking its tongue in the air, the king cobra could smell the python before seeing it. Then this ambush predator would wait patiently for the python to come within striking range.
Once the unsuspecting python was close enough, the venomous cobra would strike and inject its deadly neurotoxin.

King cobras have an impressive striking range that varies based on their size. The length of the cobra’s upper body determines its striking range. For instance, let’s say a 10-foot-long king cobra is attacking. After raising half of its body, it would have a 5-foot striking range. That’s plenty of room to reach an unsuspecting python.

Overview: Python

Pythons are smart enough to lure prey with the tip of their tails. When the prey comes close, they strike and bite. Instead of a venomous bite, pythons use their teeth to hold the prey and then wrap them in muscly coils. These constrictor snakes live in Australia, Africa, and Asia. There are also invasive Burmese pythons in Florida.

A python’s preferred habitats include woodlands, shrubs, dunes, sandy hills, rainforests, swamps, and grasslands. Sometimes they find refuge in abandoned mammal burrows; other times, you’ll find pythons among the tree branches. Sometimes they hunt from the tree branches without ever leaving the tree. These snakes are strong and can kill prey as large as deer.

Python: Size and Speed

Pythons are the biggest species of snake in Africa. These large bulky snakes can reach lengths of 33 feet and can weigh 250 pounds. The largest python ever recorded was 26.25 feet long and weighed 550 pounds! The record-breaking reticulated python was found in Malaysia in 2016.

The python is a much larger snake when it comes to a king cobra vs. a python. But all of that size can provide a disadvantage regarding speed. Pythons have a top speed of 1 mph, which doesn’t help them against the cobra’s speedy 12 mph slither.

Because of their big bodies, pythons have to move in a straight line. They move their bodies by hardening their ribs and lifting their ventral (belly) scales.

There are a lot of species that don’t rely on speed to survive, and pythons are one of them. Moving quickly is unnecessary when you don’t have to chase after an animal. Since these constrictors are ambush hunters, they don’t pursue their prey.

The python must sneak up on the king cobra to win this animal showdown. Then it’ll have a chance to use its size and attack abilities to gain the advantage.

Python: Attack Abilities

The deciding factor in this animal battle is the pythons’ attack abilities. To use specifics, we’ll use a Burmese python’s attack abilities. This species has a big appetite and takes down prey as large as deer.

On average, Burmese pythons can grow over 18 feet and weigh 200 pounds. They can detect their prey using pit organs that sense heat admitted from living things. They can also smell prey using their tongues.

Burmese pythons are constrictors that use their sharp teeth when hunting. The species has multiple rows of teeth, with 80 to 120 spread out across their entire mouth. The teeth help the snake lock down on its prey, eliminating any chance of escape.

It was previously thought that constrictors suffocated their prey, but new research reveals the truth. Constrictors like pythons are killing their prey too quickly for it to be suffocation. Instead, pythons kill their prey by causing circulatory or cardiac arrest. When the heart of their prey stops beating, they open wide to swallow their meal.

Compared to other snakes, pythons have one of the biggest mouth gaps. The gape size measures the area when a snake loosens its jaw muscles to swallow prey.

A lot of snakes have wide mouths, thanks to disconnected lower jaws. But the python’s mouth design goes the extra mile. Along with being disconnected, their lower jaws also have incredibly stretchy skin. This expands their dinner options to some of the biggest animals, like whitetail deer in the Everglades.

One of the reasons pythons eat large prey has to do with their size. Pythons have big bulky bodies, and the more food they consume, the more energy they have to survive.

The ability to subdue large animals means the python doesn’t have to exert as much energy hunting. They can eat one big meal that sustains them for a long time. In this case, the meal will be an 18-foot-long cobra! It’s time to find out who won this king cobra vs. python animal showdown.

King Cobra vs. Python: Who Wins in a Fight?

The king cobra is the winner. Both of these large reptiles bring a lot of advantages to the table, such as their size. However, the king cobra has the distinct advantage of having a deadly bite. This snake’s neurotoxin is fast acting and incredibly potent. The cobra is also much faster than the python, with a top speed of 12 mph.

Even if the python tries using a sneak attack, the world’s biggest venomous snake wouldn’t be easily fooled. King cobras can detect prey that’s 330 feet away using their highly keen sense of smell. They flick their tongue in the air to find small and large prey. In this case, the king cobra would instantly smell the hiding python. After identifying the threat, the agile snake can slither across the ground at 12 mph.

Approaching the python, the king cobra would lift half its body off the ground. After delivering a deep warning hiss and bearing its fangs, the cobra would flair out its hood. The last move will be to strike. Driving its fangs in, the cobra delivers a fatal bite. It only takes a bit of the unique neurotoxin to paralyze and kill the python.

Our champion won’t have any trouble eating the loser of this animal battle. In the wild, king cobras love eating snakes, including pythons. Sometimes they dine on reticulated pythons that are as long as 10 feet.

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