Ritualistic Male-Male Combat of the Northern King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) in Thailand

Ritualistic male-male combat is exhibited by several snake species, and is accepted as a given natural history trait for king cobras. However, there are no detailed accounts of combat behavior in king cobras in the primary literature, despite this understanding and anecdotal reporting (e.g., via social media posts). The recent taxonomic split of the king cobra species complex has increased our overall understanding of king cobras, but has narrowed the applicability of accepted knowledge across the four novel species. Here, we document three direct and indirect observations of ritualistic male-male combat in the newly revised northern king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) in Thailand during the 2019 breeding season. We provide detailed accounts of each combat event and the implications that these observations have for our understanding of male-male combat, particularly among king cobra species and the northern king cobra specifically.