Friday, May 14, 2010
Really Smart Cobras
Spitting cobras attack tactics presented a challenge to researchers. The cobras strikes are extremely accurate and each strike is unique. This is puzzling because the cobra's fangs are fixed so pattern of the fluid should be fixed. Also, the snakes 'wiggled' their heads just before firing.
The study, in the Journal of Experimental Biology, concludes that spitting cobras initially track their victim's movement and actually spit venom according to where they calculate the victim will be 200ms in the future.
Here's a video of the spitting cobra measuring up its opponent and striking.
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