🐟 Great barracuda vs King cobra 🐍
The king cobra is about one and a half times as long as the great barracuda.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐟 Great barracuda | 🐍 King cobra |
|---|---|---|
| Size The king cobra is about one and a half times as long as the great barracuda. | 6.6 ft2 m1 | 10 to 12 ft3.1 to 3.7 m2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the king cobra yet. | 110 lb50 kg1 | no checked number yet |
| Lives They are about the same. | 18 years18 years1 | 17 years17 years2 |
| Eats The great barracuda eats fish; the king cobra eats meat. | fish, squid and sometimes shrimp | mostly other snakes |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | warm shallow seas near the surface, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans | forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China |
Which one? Great barracuda or king cobra
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the great barracuda or the king cobra yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
9 things to know about Great barracuda vs King cobra
- The great barracuda: A long, slim fish of warm shallow seas.
- The king cobra: A very long snake that eats mostly other snakes.
- They are different kinds of animal. The great barracuda is a fish, so it breathes with gills; the king cobra is a reptile, so it has scaly skin.
- The king cobra is about one and a half times as long as the great barracuda: 2 against 1.
- They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the great barracuda and 2 for the king cobra.
- The great barracuda eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp. The king cobra eats mostly other snakes.
- The great barracuda lives in warm shallow seas near the surface, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The king cobra lives in forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The great barracuda: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The king cobra: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐟 Great barracuda
- A great barracuda lives in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
- It stays near the surface in shallow water.
- It eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp.
🐍 King cobra
- A king cobra eats mostly other snakes.
- It is longer than most grown-ups are tall.
- It lives near streams in forests, bamboo and swamps.
Questions kids ask about Great barracuda and King cobra
Which is bigger, great barracuda or king cobra?
The king cobra is about one and a half times as long as the great barracuda: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, great barracuda or king cobra?
We only have a checked weight for the great barracuda: 1. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, great barracuda or king cobra?
They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the great barracuda and 2 for the king cobra.
What do great barracuda and king cobra eat?
The great barracuda eats fish, squid and sometimes shrimp. The king cobra eats mostly other snakes.
Where do great barracuda and king cobra live?
The great barracuda lives in warm shallow seas near the surface, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The king cobra lives in forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, great barracuda or king cobra?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/barracuda-vs-king-cobra
Where these numbers come from
- FishBase, Sphyraena barracuda (great barracuda), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Ophiophagus hannah (king cobra), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.