Written by:Robert Roy Britt
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 rather spray the venom, using muscular contractions upon the venom glands.
A new Species of Spitting Cobra, discovered in Kenya, is some 9 feet long.
The finding “reinforces the obvious—that there have to be many other unreported species but hundreds are being lost as their habitats disappear under the continued mismanagement of our planet,” said Kenyan environmentalist Richard Leakey in a story on MSNBC.
