---
title: "Burmese python vs king cobra — size, speed and bite force"
description: "Burmese python and king cobra compared on mass, length, speed, bite force and lifespan — every measure side by side, with why the numbers cannot settle an encounter."
url: https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/burmese-python-vs-king-cobra/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Burmese python vs king cobra

**Burmese python vs king cobra: Burmese python leads on 2 of 3 measures**

Measured comparison — not a prediction

One of the largest snakes, now established as an invasive predator across the Florida Everglades. The longest venomous snake, delivering enough neurotoxin in one bite to kill an elephant. On the measurements below, Burmese python leads on more of them — but they do not all point the same way, and the ones that disagree are the interesting part.

## The measurements

|  | Burmese python | king cobra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mass | 20–182 kg | 4–12.7 kg |
| Length | 2.5–5.7 m | 3–5.85 m |
| Lifespan | 15–28 yr | 17–22 yr |

## Where each one leads

- Mass: Burmese python is 10× heavier.
- Length: Burmese python is 1.1× longer.
- Lifespan: near enough identical.

## What this does and does not tell you

These are measured averages with real ranges behind them, and every figure links to its own page. What they cannot do is settle an encounter. Outcomes between animals turn on circumstance — who initiates, whether either is hungry, defending young, injured or cornered, and what the terrain favours. Size and bite force are not decisive on their own, and most of these pairs never meet in the wild in any case, because their ranges do not overlap.

> Every figure here is an average with a substantial spread. Individual animals vary enormously — a large individual of the smaller species routinely exceeds a small individual of the larger one.

## Common questions

### Is a Burmese python bigger than a king cobra?

Burmese python is heavier — 20–182 kg against 4–12.7 kg.

### Who would win, a Burmese python or a king cobra?

That is not something measurements can settle. The comparison above shows which animal leads on each measure, but an actual encounter depends on circumstance, motivation, health and terrain — and most pairs like this never meet in the wild.

## Related pages

- [How much does a Burmese python weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/burmese-python/)
- [How much does a king cobra weigh?](https://atoneplace.net/weight/king-cobra/)
- [domestic cat vs king cobra](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/domestic-cat-vs-king-cobra/)
- [giant panda vs king cobra](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/giant-panda-vs-king-cobra/)
- [African elephant vs Burmese python](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/african-elephant-vs-burmese-python/)
- [African elephant vs king cobra](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/african-elephant-vs-king-cobra/)
- [Asian elephant vs Burmese python](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/asian-elephant-vs-burmese-python/)
- [Asian elephant vs king cobra](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/asian-elephant-vs-king-cobra/)
- [blue whale vs Burmese python](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/blue-whale-vs-burmese-python/)
- [blue whale vs king cobra](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/blue-whale-vs-king-cobra/)
- [great white shark vs king cobra](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/great-white-shark-vs-king-cobra/)
- [American alligator vs Burmese python](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/american-alligator-vs-burmese-python/)
- [American alligator vs king cobra](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/american-alligator-vs-king-cobra/)
- [green anaconda vs king cobra](https://atoneplace.net/animal-vs/green-anaconda-vs-king-cobra/)

## Sources

- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/)