Cobras and cottonmouths may appear similar in many people's minds since both are venomous snakes that scare people; nevertheless, the comparison between these snakes would become far more complex when their venom biology and geographies are discussed. The first distinction to be made between these two is that cobras are elapids, and cottonmouths are pit vipers belonging to the genus Cottonmouth, which is significant because the two snakes affect different biological processes.
According to the toxicology literature indexed in PubMed, some cobra species produce neurotoxins and cytotoxins that can disrupt nervous system function and cause tissue damage at the site of a bite. The effect of cottonmouth venom is somewhat different. This is explained by the fact that cottonmouths are vipers whose venoms are characterized by hemotoxic and coagulopathic effects such as hemorrhage, swelling, and tissue destruction but not paralysis.
