The Australian Reptile Park has reached an extraordinary milestone, welcoming the first king cobras to hatch in Australia in 16 years. Three highly venomous king cobra hatchlings emerged this week, marking the third successful king cobra breeding event ever recorded in Australia, all of which have occurred exclusively at the Australian Reptile Park.
This achievement places the Park in an incredibly rare position both nationally and internationally. The last time king cobra eggs successfully hatched in Australia was in 2010, making these new arrivals a significant moment for reptile conservation and captive breeding worldwide.
The journey to this success has been years in the making. The breeding pair were carefully introduced in September 2025, with the female king cobra, Medusa, going on to build a nest and lay her eggs in November, a remarkable and rarely observed behaviour in captivity. After extensive planning and expert assessment, Park Manager Billy Collett made the decision to artificially incubate the eggs to give them the best possible chance of survival.
That careful planning paid off when three healthy baby king cobras successfully hatched, a moment that represents both a major achievement for the Park and an important step forward for global king cobra conservation.
“There were months of planning for this, even just to get them ready for breeding,” said Billy, who oversaw the entire breeding and incubation process. “This was a career highlight for me to oversee the whole process.”
Although each hatchling is currently under 30 centimetres long, they are already showing classic king cobra behaviour, including hooding up defensively. While they may be small, they are still extremely venomous, and the Park’s experienced reptile team is handling them under the highest safety and care protocols.
“They may be small, but they are still very much king cobras,” Billy said. “Even at this size they are extremely venomous, so our keepers are taking the highest level of care and precautions while working with them.”
The hatchlings are being raised behind the scenes under intensive care conditions, with a long-term commitment to their health, growth and welfare. Once they are older and it is safe to do so, the plan is for them to eventually be introduced to public display, giving visitors a rare opportunity to see one of the world’s most impressive snake species up close.
“This is a long-term responsibility,” Billy added. “Our goal is to raise these snakes safely and responsibly, and one day allow visitors to see just how incredible king cobras truly are.”
While the baby king cobras remain off display, visitors can still see the proud father, Rajar, who is currently on exhibit in the Lost World of Reptiles alongside the Park’s other exotic snake species.
This rare success highlights the exceptional expertise of the Australian Reptile Park’s reptile team. Very few facilities anywhere in the world have successfully bred king cobras, and even fewer have achieved it more than once.
As the Australian Reptile Park continues to lead the way in reptile conservation, breeding and education, these hatchlings represent not just a national first in over a decade, but a powerful example of what expert care, patience and dedication can achieve.
King cobras are the world’s longest venomous snake, capable of growing up to 5.5 metres in length. Native to forests and jungles across South and Southeast Asia, they are best known for their impressive hood display and highly potent venom. Unlike other cobras, king cobras primarily feed on other snakes, earning their scientific name Ophiophagus, meaning “snake eater.”