badbobby Loc: texas

Shortly after a man killed a rattlesnake in his backyard, the rattlesnake's severed head bit and injected venom into the man, seriously injuring him, according to news reports.

The zombie-like incident happened when Jennifer Sutcliffe and her husband were working in their backyard near Corpus Christi, Texas, over Memorial Day weekend, according to KIII, an ABC-affiliated station. Sutcliffe said she spotted the 4-foot-long (1.2 meters) snake while weeding, and that her husband beheaded it with a shovel to defend her.

But when he bent down to dispose of the snake, its decapitated head bit his hand. How is this possible? [Image Gallery: Snakes of the World]

The answer has to do with the snake's physiology. Snakes are cold-blooded creatures, meaning they get heat from external sources, such as sunlight and warm surfaces. (The scientific term for this is "ectotherm.")

Because snakes don't need to internally maintain their body temperature, they don't need as much energy — which is burned up using oxygen — as warm-blooded "endotherms" do, said David Penning, an assistant professor of biology at Missouri Southern State University who wasn't involved in the Texas case.

If a mammal loses its head, it will die almost immediately. But snakes and other ectotherms, which don't need as much oxygen to fuel the brain, can probably live on for minutes or even hours, Penning said.

"Severing the head isn't going to cause immediate death in the animal," Penning told Live Science. "It doesn't need that much oxygen in the first place."

Granted, the snake might not have been self-aware that it no longer had a body. Rather, it likely just felt the pain from the decapitation and then tried to defend itself, Penning said.

The body of the decapitated rattlesnake
The body of the decapitated rattlesnake
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Sutcliffe
Meanwhile, there's some debate about whether venomous snakes inject more venom into large animals than they do into small animals, and if they do, whether they consciously make that decision, said Scott Boback, an associate professor of biology at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania who also wasn't involved with the Texas man's case.

While the venom question isn't settled, "I would venture to guess that the reaction of a decapitated snake was just an involuntary one," and that the snake was not controlling how much venom it injected into the man, Boback told Live Science. This may explain why the man had to receive so much antivenom at the hospital — 26 doses, Sutcliffe told KIII, which is far more than most patients need.

Rattlesnake encounters
If you encounter a rattlesnake, the best option is to move away from the snake and leave it alone, Penning said. Rattlesnakes aren't known to chase people, he noted. Instead, call your local fish and wildlife department, which will safely remove the snake. [Shhh: A Gallery of Secretive Ground Snakes]

If you are bitten by a venomous snake, you should immediately go to the emergency room, which will administer antivenom and treat any other symptoms you have, Penning said. Pay no attention to the urban myth about sucking out the poison, and skip the so-called venom-extractor kits, he added. The body is like a sponge, and it will absorb and circulate the venom quickly, and these strategies will do more harm than good.

Of the 10,000 people bitten by snakes every year in the United States, between five and seven die, Penning said. In the Texas case, the man was rushed to the hospital and is now recovering.

Although demonized in popular culture, rattlesnakes play a vital role in their ecosystems. Because they eat so many rodents, a single timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) can remove between 2,500 and 4,500 ticks from their home range, according to research from the University of Maryland. (The ticks live on the rodents.) This, in turn, helps humans because ticks can carry Lyme disease.

Original article on Live Science.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

Best way I know of dealing with a snake is a sticky board.... they call onto it and get stuck..... works well with mountain rattlers. I do not kill anything....but, I make exceptions for snakes and scorpions, having been stung.

Thanks for the article.... by the way, if you are in snake country during early spring or early winter, do not be surprised to have one crawl out of your car vents....

bahmer

I never have liked snakes and luckily I have never been bitten of course where I live there aren't to many snakes except the little garden snakes.

crazylibertarian Loc: Florida by way of New York & Rhode Island

I've known for years that decapitated snake heads can still bite and inject their venom. I think most people are aware of it Once the mouth is opened is still can snap closed. And this guy was living in snake country.

One thing that might be safe is to crush the head with a huge mallet.

bahmer

Use a 12 GA. and blow the head clean off and into smithereens.

badbobby Loc: texas

hey guys
that snake was only tryin to make a living
best to call animal control
they will capture the snake and release it far from there
and the snake can go on tryin to make a living

bahmer

How long does it take animal control to get there?
A 12 GA. may be just around the corner of the door
I have also heard that snake meat is good eating.
That way you kill two birds with one stone. You have
the meat for dinner "the snake" and you don't have
to wait for the animal control to get there.

badbobby Loc: texas

you are a mean man bahm
poor lil snake

boatbob2

I have a 6 foot BLACK SNAKE,on my property,havent seen a poisonous snake in years.Im told,black snakes kill the poison ones.

bahmer

Sort of like you killing all of those nice crappies
just to feed you huge clan. What did those nice
crappies ever do to you to deserve killing and eating?

badbobby Loc: texas

Contrary to your beliefs
I neither killed nor ate all those'nice crappie'
admittedly I did catch some of them
(the ones I couldn't shake off the hook)

bahmer

After reading your account of all that attended your feast
of prime crappie fillets then you must be getting terribly
feeble. You had enough crappies to feed that huge gathering
and you were the only one that had steak. By the way when
are you going fishing again?

badbobby Loc: texas

when it gets below 90 degrees early in the morning
but it will be bass fishing
and catch and release
then you can't call me a fish killer

bahmer

But you eat steak so that makes you a beef killer right?

badbobby Loc: texas

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