Novel Natural History Observations on the Reproductive Biology of King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) From Yunnan Province, China

Abstract

Although the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) has received considerable conservation attention, little is known about its reproductive biology across its range. Here, we report three cases of nesting behavior in Yunnan Province, China, which represent the first documented nesting and clutch size of O. hannah in China outside of the Xizang Autonomous Region. Our observations confirmed multi-individual participation in nest guarding, a behavior associated with an exceptionally large clutch size. We discuss possible explanations for the observed high clutch size and call for future studies on the reproductive biology of this flagship snake species.

Keywords

clutch size / ethology / Kunming / protected species / Pu'er / snake / Xishuangbanna

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2025 The Author(s). Integrative Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG).