The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) lives in tropical rain forests through Southeast Asia. These snakes prefer to live near the forest's edge close to grasslands and aquatic habitats. Adult king cobras reach lengths of 12 to 18 feet, making them one of the largest cobra species in the world; the fangs on an adult king cobra are approximately .5 inches. King cobras only mate once a year and the female lays over 10 eggs. These cobras are the only snake species that do not leave their nest for any reason until its offspring hatch. A juvenile king cobra's venom is just as potent as an adult's venom.
Also known as Naja naja, the Indian cobra dwells through tropical forests in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. These snakes have black bands on the underside of its neck, while half-ring markings are on both sides of its hood. The rest of this snake's body is dark brown or black with yellowish speckles. Indian cobras are medium-sized snakes, growing up to 6 or 7 feet when mature. Indian cobras lay nearly 20 eggs per year. In tropical rain forests, many cobras develop their nests in hollow trees. Female Indian cobras only leave their eggs for feeding during the incubation period.
One of the least venomous cobra snake is the false water cobra, a native of South America. This cobra's habitat includes tropical forests throughout Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. In spite of its name, the false water cobra is only semi-aquatic, meaning it spends a relatively equal amount of time on land and water. False water cobras are not related to cobras in the Elapidae family, but is in the Colubridae family. Like Elapidae cobras, though, the false water cobra is able to flatten its head and stand in a vertical position. These snakes have lighter-colored scales on the front of its body. The false water cobra's tail is darker than the front part of its body.
Spitting cobras (Naja nigricollis) spray venom into their prey's eyes. The venom causes temporary blindness making the prey an easy target. The spitting cobra's highly toxic sprayed venom is able to kill if it enters its prey's bloodstream. Spitting cobras live in the tropical forest environments of East African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Rwanda. These cobras are also seen in agricultural areas that were once tropical rain forests. Adult spitting cobras grow between 5 to 7 feet.