Spitting cobras
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Juvenile Red Spitting Cobra, Naja pallida

Red Spitting Cobra

Spitting cobra refers to any one of several species of cobras that have the ability to spit or eject venom from their mouth when defending themselves against predators. The spit venom is harmless to intact skin. However, it can cause permanent blindness if introduced to the eye and left untreated (causing chemosis and corneal swelling).

Despite their name, these snakes do not actually spit their venom. They spray the venom, using muscular contractions upon the venom glands. These muscles squeeze the glands and force the venom out through forward facing holes at the tips of the fangs. As the venom leaves the fang tip, a large gust of air is expelled from the lung which aerosolizes the venom and propels it forward. When cornered, some species can "spit" their venom a distance as great as two meters. While spitting is typically their primary form of defense, all spitting cobras are capable of delivering venom through a bite as well. Most species' venom exhibit significant hemotoxic effects, along with more typical neurotoxic effects of other cobra species.

Species of the spitting cobras

• Black-Necked Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricollis)
• Black Spitting Cobra (Naja woodi)
• Western Barred Spitting Cobra (Naja nigricincta)
• Red Spitting Cobra (Naja pallida)
• Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica)
• Malaysian Spitting Cobra (Naja sputatrix)
• Black and White Spitting Cobra (Naja siamensis)
• Sumatran Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana)
• Nubian Spitting Cobra (Naja nubiae)
• Large Brown Spitting Cobra (Naja ashei)
• West African Brown Spitting Cobra (Naja katiensis)

Other spitting species

Some non-spitting cobras and vipers have been noted to spit occasionally. Certain, predominantly non-spitting, Asian cobras have the spitting tendency.^{citation needed} The Rinkhals cobra (Hemachatus haemachatus) is another elapid species, which while not belonging to the Cobra genus Naja, is closely related, and is capable of spitting venom.

It has been reported that several viper species (notably the Mangshan Pitviper) may "fling" or even spit venom forward in a spray when threatened.

References

• Greene, Harry W. (1997) Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, California.

External links

• Video of an African Red Spitting Cobra spraying its venom.
• Video of an African Red Spitting Cobra feeding.
• Yahoo News Record-size spitting cobra found in Kenya.