Do Cobras Really Spit Venom?
The image of a cobra spitting toxic venom across great distances is rather arresting, and unfortunately untrue. The cobra actually sprays its venom, using muscular contractions and the process of respiration. While this might be viewed as semantic hairsplitting, spitting is actually an entirely separate biological action, involving the muscles of the mouth in a series of motions which propel substances from the interior of the mouth. The idea that cobras spit venom is widespread around the world, much to the frustration of herpetologists. For our purposes in this article, we will call it “spitting,” since “spraying” venom does not really do justice to the activity.
