🐺 Coyote vs King cobra 🐍
The king cobra is about 7 times as long as the coyote.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐺 Coyote | 🐍 King cobra |
|---|---|---|
| Size The king cobra is about 7 times as long as the coyote. | 16 to 20 in41 to 51 cm1 | 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. | 25 to 35 lb11 to 16 kg1 | no checked number yet |
| Lives The king cobra usually lives about 3 times as long as the coyote. | 6 years6 years1 | 17 years17 years2 |
| Eats The coyote eats plants and animals; the king cobra eats meat. | mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit | mostly other snakes |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities | forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China |
Which one? Coyote or king cobra
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the coyote 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 Coyote vs King cobra
- The coyote: A clever wild dog whose yips and howls fill the night.
- The king cobra: A very long snake that eats mostly other snakes.
- They are different kinds of animal. The coyote is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk; the king cobra is a reptile, so it has scaly skin.
- The king cobra is about 7 times as long as the coyote: 2 against 1.
- The king cobra usually lives about 3 times as long as the coyote. Usual lifespans: 1 for the coyote and 2 for the king cobra.
- The coyote eats mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit. The king cobra eats mostly other snakes.
- The coyote lives in nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities. The king cobra lives in forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The coyote: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The king cobra: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐺 Coyote
- A coyote can hear a mouse moving under the snow.
- A few coyotes together can sound like a whole pack howling.
- Coyotes sometimes team up with badgers to hunt.
🐍 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 Coyote and King cobra
Which is bigger, coyote or king cobra?
The king cobra is about 7 times as long as the coyote: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, coyote or king cobra?
We only have a checked weight for the coyote: 1. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, coyote or king cobra?
The king cobra usually lives about 3 times as long as the coyote. Usual lifespans: 1 for the coyote and 2 for the king cobra.
What do coyote and king cobra eat?
The coyote eats mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit. The king cobra eats mostly other snakes.
Where do coyote and king cobra live?
The coyote lives in nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities. The king cobra lives in forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do king cobras eat coyotes?
The king cobra eats mostly other snakes. Coyotes are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, coyote or king cobra?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. 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/coyote-vs-king-cobra
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 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 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.