Spit Take: Surprise! Indian Monocled Cobras Can Spit Venom

A monocled cobra, Naja kaouthia. Photo Credit: Tontan Travel Vishal Santra got more than he bargained for when he peered into a chicken coop in the Hooghly District of West Bengal, India in 2004. He was helping the local community with dangerous snake removals when he was called upon to wrangle an unwelcome guest in a fowl pen: a monocled cobra, Naja kaouthia. Monocled cobras, which can reach lengths of about 5 feet, are highly venomous animals, so Santra knew to avoid a quick strike. But the animal didn't lunge—instead, from over a foot away, the serpent spat at Santra's face, getting a small amount of venom into his eye. Santra, a wildlife consultant for Simultala Conservationists, might have been more prepared for the defensive shot if the snake were one of the monocled cobra's close cousins. There are fourteen species of spitting cobras in the genus Naja—seven from Africa, and seven from Asia. But Naja kaouthia is not considered one of them, so the spitting was unexpected. There had been rumors, of course, of the monocled cobra's spitting abilities—some have even referred to the them as "quasi-spitters"—but such claims remained scattered and largely unconfirmed until Santra's encounter. Eager to replicate the behavior, Santra taunted the snake with a clay pot—and the snake spit again.