🐍 Green anaconda vs King cobra 🐍
The green anaconda is about twice as long as the king cobra.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐍 Green anaconda | 🐍 King cobra |
|---|---|---|
| Size The green anaconda is about twice as long as the king cobra. | 26 ft8 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. | 551 lb250 kg3 | no checked number yet |
| Lives The king cobra usually lives about one and a half times as long as the green anaconda. | 10 years10 years3 | 17 years17 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | fish, birds, turtles, capybaras and other animals near the water | mostly other snakes |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | the swamps, slow rivers and rainforests of tropical South America | forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China |
Which one? Green anaconda or king cobra
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the green anaconda 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.
9 things to know about Green anaconda vs King cobra
- The green anaconda: The heaviest snake alive floats in rivers with just its eyes showing.
- The king cobra: A very long snake that eats mostly other snakes.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are reptiles.
- The green anaconda is about twice as long as the king cobra: 1 against 2.
- The king cobra usually lives about one and a half times as long as the green anaconda. Usual lifespans: 3 for the green anaconda and 2 for the king cobra.
- Both eat meat. The green anaconda eats fish, birds, turtles, capybaras and other animals near the water; the king cobra eats mostly other snakes.
- The green anaconda lives in the swamps, slow rivers and rainforests of tropical South America. 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 green anaconda: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The king cobra: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🐍 Green anaconda
- Baby anacondas are born alive, not hatched.
- The female is much bigger than the male.
- After a big meal, it can go a long time without eating.
🐍 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 Green anaconda and King cobra
Which is bigger, green anaconda or king cobra?
The green anaconda is about twice as long as the king cobra: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, green anaconda or king cobra?
We only have a checked weight for the green anaconda: 3. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, green anaconda or king cobra?
The king cobra usually lives about one and a half times as long as the green anaconda. Usual lifespans: 3 for the green anaconda and 2 for the king cobra.
What do green anaconda and king cobra eat?
Both eat meat. The green anaconda eats fish, birds, turtles, capybaras and other animals near the water; the king cobra eats mostly other snakes.
Where do green anaconda and king cobra live?
The green anaconda lives in the swamps, slow rivers and rainforests of tropical South America. 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 green anacondas eat king cobras?
The green anaconda eats fish, birds, turtles, capybaras and other animals near the water. King cobras are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do king cobras eat green anacondas?
The king cobra eats mostly other snakes. Green anacondas are not in that list, which comes from its page. And the green anaconda is about twice as long as the king cobra.
Who would win, green anaconda 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/green-anaconda-vs-king-cobra
Where these numbers come from
- US Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species: green anaconda profile, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Ophiophagus hannah (king cobra), checked 10 November 2026.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Green anaconda, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.