Researchers in Yunnan observed two adult king cobras guarding a single nest containing 72 eggs — a possible record clutch — discovered on 6 June 2024 west of Kunming. The nest, built from bamboo leaves, twigs and pine needles, measured about 3.3 ft high by 4.9 ft wide. Published in Integrative Conservation, these observations are the first nesting records for king cobras in China outside southeastern Xizang and provide a baseline for future conservation studies. Improved knowledge of nesting and guarding behavior can inform monitoring and habitat protection for the Vulnerable Ophiophagus hannah.
Two King Cobras Guard One Nest of 72 Eggs in Yunnan — Possible Record Clutch
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Researchers in Yunnan province, China, observed two adult king cobras guarding a single nest containing 72 eggs — a rare glimpse into the reproductive behavior of the world's longest venomous snake and a potential record clutch.
Between 2020 and 2025 the team located three king cobra nests; the most notable was discovered on 6 June 2024 at a mixed-forest site west of Kunming. Field notes and local reports indicate two adult cobras were seen repeatedly near the mound that enclosed the clutch.
The observations, published in the journal Integrative Conservation, represent the first recorded nesting and clutch-size data for king cobras in China outside southeastern Xizang. Because researchers could not determine the sex of the two snakes at the site, the 72-egg total could reflect either an unusually large single female lay or multiple females depositing eggs in the same nest.
King cobras are unusual among snakes because females build nests and often remain to guard their eggs. The Yunnan nest was constructed from bamboo leaves, twigs and pine needles and measured roughly 3.3 ft (1.0 m) high and 4.9 ft (1.5 m) wide.
Local residents reported all three nests to researchers, underscoring how human-wildlife overlap increases the risk of encounters with potentially dangerous animals. The population observed belongs to Ophiophagus hannah, which occurs across the Pan-Himalayan region, southern China and much of Indochina. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and appears as Endangered on China’s national Red List.
Although three nests are too few to draw definitive conclusions, these records establish a baseline for future studies of clutch size, nest-guarding behavior and the possibility that multiple females sometimes use the same nest. For a threatened species, improved knowledge of nesting locations, the duration of parental guarding and the timing of hatchlings can help strengthen monitoring and habitat-protection measures.
Similar dramatic incidents reported elsewhere include Burmese python nests found in unexpected places in Florida, a 12-foot king cobra that alarmed residents near a bank in Odisha, India, and a king cobra in Assam that evaded rescuers beneath a bedroom floor. Wildlife workers also note that the king cobra’s low-frequency growl can be mistaken for a tiger’s, and video footage has shown giant specimens rearing to chest height beside an adult.
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