Venom Spitting Snake behind my Kuching House

I was at a friend's house for Hari Raya visit yesterday when my mum called. She said there was a snake in the garden at the back of our house! A venom spitting snake! Apparently my dog, Tina, was really noisy the whole morning and was beginning to push my dad's flower pots down. My mum and my youngest brother went to check but thought maybe it was just rats. My youngest brother moved the flower pot away (to see whether there are rats), and seeing nothing, he walked away, towards my kitchen door.

Suddenly, my mum spotted a black snake about three or four feet away from my brother! She asked him not to move or the snake will attack him. Before she could do anything, Tina jumped between my brother and the snake and tried to attack it. My brother quickly ran inside the house after that.

                      Above: Not very clear but you can see the black snake with white spot on its head in an attacking stance

Anyway, during the "fight", the snake sprayed its venom on Tina's eyes. After a while, it escaped. Poor Tina. My mum and my two brothers are trying to treat it because she doesn't let them bring her to the vet. She is a very, very fierce dog. I am still waiting for news whether she is getting better.

I did some research on the internet last night about venom spitting snake and summarized them as follows. If you come across any venom spitting snake, please be careful.

What is a spitting snake?

Spitting snakes have the ability to eject venom from their fangs. These snakes do not actually spit but rther squirt their venom. Pressure on the glands forces the venom out through forward facing holes at the tips of the fangs.

Species of spitting snake and where they are commonly found

1. Haemachatus
 - Hemachatus haemachatus (African ringhal cobra)

2. Naja

Naja nigricollis (African black-necked cobra)
Naja siamensis
Naja pallida (Mozambique red spitting cobra)
Naja mossambica (Mozambique spitting cobra)
Naja ashei
Naja katiensis (West African spitting cobra)

Naja sumatrana (Eastern Asia golden spitting cobra) of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra

 Above: Naja sumatrana

Naja sputatric (Indonesian spitting cobra) of the southern Indonesia
Naja philippinensis (Common spitting cobra) of the Philippines
Naja samarensis (Samar spitting cobra) of the Philippines
Naja atra (Chinese and Indochinese Asian black cobra)

Above: Naja atra

Naja kaouthia (Asian monocled cobra)

Above: Naja kaouthia

These snakes usually make their homes in underground holes or below rocks, logs, in hollow tree-stumps or in termite hills; or old derelict buildings which probably attract food in the form of rats and mice. They are seen mostly at dusk or at night when they hunt mainly small animals such as mice, frogs, birds and their eggs, and larger insects.

Why spit instead of bite?

The spitting is used as a defensive gear against ther predators and not to obtain food. They spit at a larger animal, and feast on smaller creatures. These snakes are not particularly muscular (boas and pythons squeeze their prey to death), and they have small fangs. Thus, they intimidate anything they see as a threat by going into the attacking stance. They have hoods that expand out like a half umbrella so they appear bigger and scarier. When cornered, they will spray their venom, aiming on the eyes, or rather the highest point of the attacker.

How far can they spit their venom?

Depending on the size of the snake, they venom can travel a distance up to four to eight feet (1.2 to 2.4 meters). It travels as fast as a water pistol and a human couldn't evade it. So if you are confronted by a spitting snake, stand back at least 10 feet (3 meters) and protect your eyes.

What happens if a snake's venom lands in your eyes?

The venom consists of nerve poisons and other components harmful to tissue. If it lands in the eyes, it is quickly absorbed by the capillaries of the conjunctiva. This may cause temporary blindness by cornea irritation and damage (cornea reacts with severe stinging pain), and can lead to permanent blindness.

However, venom landing on the skin is harmless unless it enters an open wound.

First aid treatment

Without first aid treatment and medical attention immediately, the venom may cause blindness. Rubbing the eyes will do more harm than good. Instead, rinse the eyes with large quantities of water (running water) or any other harmless fluid like a cold drink, milk, beer or even urine. Never try to neutralize the venom, but rather flush it from the eyes. Wipe any traces of venom around the eye area. Then, seek medical advice as soon as possible. Usually, the eyes should recover fully in three or four days.

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitting_cobra - Spitting Cobras
http://www.manbir-online.com/htm2/snake.29.htm - Spitting Snakes
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0210_050210_cobra_2.html - Cobras Spit Venom at Eyes with Nearly Perfect Aim
http://www.kingsnake.com/elapids/first_aid_by_spitting_cobras.htm - First Aid by Spitting Cobras
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/Taxa/AsNaja.htm - Asiatic Naja
http://www.gamelodges.com/resources/reptiles/snakes.htm - Reptiles found in the greater Kruger Park area