Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836)

Scales in 17 to 19 :15:15 rows. Ventrals 240-254; subcaudals 84-104;anterior scales entire, others paired.

King Cobra is a very famous snake found in many South-east Asian countries. Due to its large size and fascinating hood display it is well known to people interested in reptiles. This is the largest venomous snake of world, also the only snake which is known for building nest of dead leaves to incubate eggs. Due to very large and heavy body marked with light bands it can be easily identified. However even with a fascinating size and venom potency there are very few dead or bite records from King Cobra because it avoids encountering with humans and usually try to move away instead of being aggressive quickly.

Western Himalayas 
The following information  is based on Doila (2018).

Oviparous. Females build nests of dead leaves and stay with the eggs until they hatch.

Hatchling sizes in Western Himalayas
Dolia (2018) reported average sizes for hatchling from two nests in Nainital, Uttarakhand, in the Western Himalayas.
Clutch 1

Mean hatchling total length = 50.8±2.1 cm (mean±standard deviation), n = 27
Mean hatchling weight = 22.7±1.9 g, n = 26

Clutch 2

Mean hatchling total length = 52.7±3.3 cm, n = 11
Mean hatchling weight = 18.3±2.2 g, n = 11

3000 mm

New born- 43-50cm.
Average length- 300cm (10ft).
Maximum length- 5850cm (19.19ft).

Preocular: 1-2; Postocular: 3; 2 typical large occipital shields present; Supralabials: 7 (3rd and 4th touches eye); Infralabials: 8; Anterior temporals: 2; Posterior temporals: 3; Dorsal scale row formula: 17/19:15:15. Ventrals: 215-266; Subcaudals: 80-120 (divided). Dorsum brown, yellow, black or olive often with yellow or white chevron mark along the body axis which becomes indistinct posteriorly. Venter white or yellowish white with dark bands at throat

Whenever not raising hood it looks close to Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosa).

diurnal.This is the only snake species known to build a nest and guards it. they show parental care.

Predominantly ophiophagus (feeding on other snakes). Dolia (2018) reported King cobras in Western Himalayas feeding on common rat snakes (Ptyas mucosa) and Himalayan white-lipped pitviper (Trimeresurus septentrionalis).
 

Feeds on all other snakes as major prey. Also feeds on monitor lizards as occasional diet. 

Tropical and subtropical forests and alluvial and terai grasslands (60-2700m above msl)

This species is found in a variety of habitats, primarily in pristine forests, but it can also be found in degraded forest, mangrove swamps and even agricultural areas with remnants of woodland. It has also been found swimming in rivers in non-forested land and probably occurs in palm oil plantations (R. Inger pers. comm. 2010), however it is not yet clear whether oil palm plantations can support viable populations of this species (M. Auliya pers. comm. 2011). In India, this species has also been recorded from tea estates in the Western Ghats and Assam (Whitaker and Captain 2004). In Nepal this species is poorly-known, but has been reported primarily from undisturbed Sai forest and from dry high-altitude grasslands (D. Jelić pers. comm. 2012).

Evergreen Forests

The snake remains common in good habitat in Thailand, where it is a protected species, with no evidence of declines (T. Chan-ard pers. comm. 2011). However, this species is not frequently encountered anywhere else within its wide range

Decreasing

Schedule II

IUCN Redlist Status: Vulnerable

Vulnerable

IUCN: Vulnerable

This species is threatened by destruction of habitat due to logging and agricultural expansion.Deforestation is however likely to exert strong pressure at local scales, particularly where snakes are also hunted, and is likely to lead to declines in many of the snakes on which this species feeds.

Wildlife Protection Act (1972): Schedule II.