I'm a little bit confused about some cobras, someone can help me ?

Hi

That make a couple of time I've read that Naja kaouthia and/or Naja atra spit their venom. So I have always tought that these cobras was in reality N. siamensis or N.sumatrana. But recently, I've read another book who told that Naja atra usually don't spit exept under extreme exitation circumstances.

My question is simple: Do TRUE Naja kaouthia and/or atra have the ability to spit and/or have the fangs to do it ???

Thanks !!!

Hi Patrice,
...yes they could Wink

This will answer your question:
WÜSTER, W. & R.S. THORPE (1992) Dentitional phenomena in cobras revisited:
fang structure and spitting in the Asiatic species of Naja (Serpentes:
Elapidae). Herpetologica, 48(4): 424-434.
Peter

Thanks a lot Peter, I'll take a look at this paper !!!

The pdf of the paper is at http://www.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/Publications.htm Wink

Spitting is absolutely exceptional in Naja kaouthia, but rather more common in Naja atra. Whether locality has anything to do with it is something I don't know.

Cheers,

WW

Thanks a lot, I'll fall asleep with more knowledge tonight Smile

Then, your answers bring me to ask another question ; if you make a comparison with asians spitting cobras or even with african ones, what's "the rate" of spitting of Naja atra ???

Cheers

Pat

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