An international team including scientists from The University of Queensland , made the discovery by studying the composition of spitting cobra venoms from three groups of snakes Asian spitting cobras, African spitting cobras and rinkhals. Co-authors Professor Irina Vetter and Dr Sam Robinson from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience are among the team which demonstrated that the defensive mechanism had developed as a dominant genetic trait. “The fangs of these snakes are adapted to spray venom as far as 2.5 metres the venom is aimed directly at the face, specifically the eyes, causing intense pain and can lead to the loss of eyesight,” Dr Robinson said.