Spitting snakes

Why do certain snakes spit? The answer is simple: self-defence. The snake attempts to get its venom into the attacker’s eyes, causing pain and temporary blindness, giving the snake time to escape. The rinkhals is well known for its ability to spit. When cornered, it will raise its body off the ground and make a hood, which exposes two or three white bands on its chest. Then it rapidly flicks its head forward and spits.

Other prolific spitters include zebra spitting cobras, found in Namibia, and black spitting cobras, native to Namaqualand and southern Namibia.

The Mozambique spitting cobra (pictured) also makes a hood when threatened, but it has been known to spit from a concealed position without the initial warning.

The spitting mechanism is intricate. In other venomous snakes like a mamba or a boomslang, the exit holes in its hollow fangs point downward, but in a spitting snake, the holes are angled forwards. The snake uses muscles around the venom gland to force venom out of the fangs, which can be projected up to 3 m.

The further the venom travels, the greater the radius of the spray. When directed at a human, some of the venom might reach the face, arms and chest area, but it only does real damage if it gets into the eyes.

Spat venom is highly diluted – you can wash it off with soapy water from your arms or chest. But venom in the eyes causes immediate pain. Victims tend to keep their eyes closed or rub them – this is not a good idea. It’s best to immediately rinse your eyes gently with water – not milk or urine as some believe. The victim should immediately go see a doctor, who will check for corneal damage and apply antibiotic cream to prevent ulceration.

Never use diluted antivenom to rinse the eyes! I have dealt with hundreds of cases in which people have had venom spat in their eyes, and every single one of them made a full recovery within three to four days after seeing a doctor.

Dogs often fall victim to spitting snakes too, and their eyes swell shut quickly. The same treatment applies – make sure you get your pooch to the vet as soon as possible.

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