🐍 King cobra vs Komodo dragon 🦎
The king cobra and the Komodo dragon are about the same size.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐍 King cobra | 🦎 Komodo dragon |
|---|---|---|
| Size They are about the same size. | 10 to 12 ft3.1 to 3.7 m1 | 10 ft3.1 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the king cobra yet. | no checked number yet | 9.9 to 12 mph16 to 20 km/h2 |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the king cobra yet. | no checked number yet | 154 lb70 kg2 |
| Lives The Komodo dragon usually lives about twice as long as the king cobra. | 17 years17 years1 | 30 years30 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | mostly other snakes | deer, pigs and dead animals |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China | a few islands in Indonesia, including Komodo |
Which one? King cobra or Komodo dragon
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for 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 King cobra vs Komodo dragon
- The king cobra: A very long snake that eats mostly other snakes.
- The Komodo dragon: The biggest lizard alive, with a forked tongue that tastes the air.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are reptiles.
- The king cobra and the Komodo dragon are about the same size: 1 against 2.
- The Komodo dragon usually lives about twice as long as the king cobra. Usual lifespans: 1 for the king cobra and 2 for the Komodo dragon.
- Both eat meat. The king cobra eats mostly other snakes; the Komodo dragon eats deer, pigs and dead animals.
- The king cobra lives in forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China. The Komodo dragon lives in a few islands in Indonesia, including Komodo. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The king cobra: needs help (Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The Komodo dragon: in danger (Endangered on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐍 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.
🦎 Komodo dragon
- It smells with its tongue by flicking it in the air.
- Young Komodo dragons live in trees.
- A female can sometimes have babies with no father.
Questions kids ask about King cobra and Komodo dragon
Which is bigger, king cobra or Komodo dragon?
The king cobra and the Komodo dragon are about the same size: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, king cobra or Komodo dragon?
We only have a checked weight for the Komodo dragon: 2. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, king cobra or Komodo dragon?
The Komodo dragon usually lives about twice as long as the king cobra. Usual lifespans: 1 for the king cobra and 2 for the Komodo dragon.
What do king cobra and Komodo dragon eat?
Both eat meat. The king cobra eats mostly other snakes; the Komodo dragon eats deer, pigs and dead animals.
Where do king cobra and Komodo dragon live?
The king cobra lives in forests, bamboo thickets and swamps near streams, from northern India to southern China. The Komodo dragon lives in a few islands in Indonesia, including Komodo. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do king cobras eat Komodo dragons?
The king cobra eats mostly other snakes. Komodo dragons are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Do Komodo dragons eat king cobras?
The Komodo dragon eats deer, pigs and dead animals. King cobras are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, king cobra or Komodo dragon?
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/king-cobra-vs-komodo-dragon
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Ophiophagus hannah (king cobra), checked 10 November 2026.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Komodo dragon, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.