elapid

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Close-up of a king cobra overlaid with question marks, a drawn crown, and an arrow pointing to the snake

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The fierce snake (also known as the inland taipan, western taipan and Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is the most venomous snake in the world.

How Deadly Are Australia’s Animals?

Spider monkey swinging in a tree. (primate, jungle animal)

Why Do Animals Have Tails?

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

Female meadow adder snake (Vipera ursinii) Also called meadow viper or Ursini's viper. Reptile venomous poisonous tongue

What’s the Difference Between Venomous and Poisonous?

Discover

Periodical Cicada, Adult, Magicicada spp. Requires 17 years to complete development. Nymph splits its skin, and transforms into an adult. Feeds on sap of tree roots. Northern Illinois Brood. This brood is the largest emergence of cicadas anywhere

Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years?

Berries and leaves of the bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) plant. Poisonous plant

7 of the World’s Deadliest Plants

Aurochs. Bos primigenius. Skeleton. Extinct animal. Skeleton of an Aurochs, an extinct wild ox.

6 Animals We Ate Into Extinction

Drinking water is poured into a glass.

Water Fluoridation: Just the Facts

Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species

Ethel Rosenberg arrested in August 1950. Photograph dated Aug. 8, 1950. American civilians executed for espionage. Spies, communists, Julius Rosenberg

Spies Like Us: 10 Famous Names in the Espionage Game

Poker game. Card game. Royal Flush in poker. Hearts suit gambling

Poker Hands Ranked

elapid: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	cobra family • Elapidae

Photos and Videos

Close-up of a king cobra overlaid with question marks, a drawn crown, and an arrow pointing to the snake

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Topics

spitting cobra king cobra sea snake cobra coral snake mamba taipan brown snake true sea snake Emydocephalus rattlesnake fer-de-lance viper burrowing asp saw-scaled viper colubrid boomslang adder copperhead black snake

Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.

Animal Factoids

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

List

animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.

Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Demystified

The fierce snake (also known as the inland taipan, western taipan and Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is the most venomous snake in the world.

How Deadly Are Australia’s Animals?

Female meadow adder snake (Vipera ursinii) Also called meadow viper or Ursini's viper. Reptile venomous poisonous tongue

What’s the Difference Between Venomous and Poisonous?