If venom gets into your eyes from a spitting cobra, you will experience extreme pain. The venom can cause blindness. It also causes respiratory distress if inhaled. Spitting cobras can spit venom quickly and accurately. If in range, you may not react in time. Some species have tissue damaging venom. Others cause neurological symptoms.
Spitting cobras aim for the eyes. Their neurotoxic venom causes extreme pain and can damage the cornea, even causing blindness. They can hit a target two feet away with complete accuracy. The venom causes severe stinging, swelling, tearing and photophobia. It can lead to corneal ulcers, perforation or secondary infections.
Spitting cobras live in Africa and Asia in various habitats. The venom is generally harmless on skin but blinds eyes. It can cause chemosis and swelling without treatment.
If confronted, stand at least ten feet away and protect your eyes. Stay calm if a snake chases you to make the right decisions. Indochinese spitting cobras spread their hood and hiss before attacking. They move remarkably fast to attack predators or remain hidden.
Like other cobras, spitters bite in self defense. Their signature move is spitting venom into attackers’ eyes from over two meters. The sting pain is described as pure, intense and brilliant. Examining the fangs identifies a spitting cobra – the fang opening aims toward the mouth front and is much smaller than a non-spitter.
Can spitting cobras bite?
Spitting cobras can accurately aim their venom up to distances of 2-3 meters. Being aware of the surroundings where spitting cobras reside and avoiding disturbing or threatening them is essential. Accidental encounters are another common cause of bites. Unlike other snakes that flee from humans, spitting cobras likely stay put and defend themselves if threatened. This can lead to accidental encounters where a person may stumble upon a hiding or resting spitting cobra. Spitting is their signature move. They direct venom into an attacker’s face from over 2 meters away, aiming for the eyes.
The Mozambique Spitting Cobra accounts for most bites in southern Africa. Its cytotoxic venom causes tissue damage but fatalities are rare. Despite the ability to spray venom, spitting is not how they kill prey. Like most snakes, Spitting Cobras inject venom through bites to kill prey. Spitting evolved to deter predators. The Mozambique Spitting Cobra is a medium to large cobra often found around homes. It enters houses at night and bites sleeping victims, often on hands and face. Despite their name, these snakes don’t spit venom. While spitting cobras possess a remarkable ability with venom-spitting, the idea that they can blind prey or predators is a myth. Cobra venom is designed to immobilize or kill prey.
Can spitting cobra venom blind you?
Some spitting cobras can spit venom as far as 10 feet. Their venom might blistering if on skin but can blind if in eyes. The Indochinese spitting cobra has the smallest range at around 3.3 feet. It spits to blind not to attack blinded opponent. Spitting is signature move and snakes are crack shots. They direct venom into attacker’s face from over 2 meters away, aiming for the eyes. Venom causes severe pain and tearing. Spat venom harmless on skin but can blind if in eye; if untreated causes swelling. They spit two or three metres. Like others, they bite in self-defense. Our results found they increased different toxin family. They don’t actually spit just squeeze venom glands, forcing venom out of fangs.
How far can a spitting cobra spit its venom?
The spitting cobra can spit venom up to three metres away. The cobra aims the venom at the face and eyes of the antagonist. Cobras can measure distance to the target. They adjust the venom amount for maximum impact. Spitting cobras cause pain, blindness and even death when they spit. Some spray a mist rather than jets. The mist sprays shorter distances. But it increases chances of hitting the target. Cobras have evolved to specifically target human faces with their venom. They can spray longer than the height of humans.
Cobras have venom glands behind their eyes. Squeezing muscles on glands forces venom from fang openings. When threatened, cobras can spit up to 6.5 feet away. The venom causes severe eye pain and blindness if not treated. It can also irritate skin. A cobra bite can kill humans in 15 minutes. And elephants in hours due to paralysis of heart and lungs. Cobras avoid humans. They only attack when threatened. If you see a cobra, stay calm. Slowly back away without sudden movements.