Ten Common Snake Myths Busted
Growing up I heard many things about snakes that do not hold up to scrutiny when they are researched. Unfortunately, I still hear these same misconceptions being spread on a fairly regular basis, so today I am tackling ten of the most common snake myths that I routinely come across in everyday conversation. Join me while I debunk these myths and share some of the knowledge that my life of obsessive research has awarded me. (These myths are in no particular order.)
“Snakes dislocate their jaws while feeding.”
This is a common misconception that has arisen because of the particular way snakes feed. Snakes swallow their prey that is often larger than their heads whole, and this is possible because of the structure of their skulls. Their skulls are not fused and are able to stretch and accommodate the size of their meals thanks to the tendons and ligaments holding their skulls together.
“Baby snakes are more venomous or more dangerous than adults.”
A venomous coral snake. Credit: Ashley Wahlberg via flickr
While there is evidence that some venomous snakes are able to control the quantity of venom they inject when they bite, there have been no conclusive studies that show young snakes lack this ability. Also, there is no difference in the toxicity of young and adult snakes of the same species.
“If you get bitten by a venomous snake you should tie a tourniquet to stop the venom and/or suck out the venom from the wound.”
The logic here is that venom will travel through the bloodstream so a tourniquet will stop the venom from reaching the heart, and if one acts quickly enough the blood that is mixed with venom can be sucked out of the wound. Once envenomated, there is no way to suck the venom out of the wound, then venom mixes with the blood and travels too rapidly through the surrounding tissues for this to be effective. In fact, attempting to suck out the venom with one’s mouth or a specialized tool can ultimately result in additional tissue damage.
A tourniquet will stop the blood flow but is usually never necessary because it also stops the oxygen-rich blood from reaching the bitten limb resulting in tissue damage and possibly the loss of the limb. A tourniquet should only be used if medical help is so far away that the chances of survival without one are very low making the loss of a limb preferable. In most cases, remaining calm and reaching a medical facility is sufficient to treat the effects of envenomation.
“Snakes are aggressive and will chase you.”
Snakes are not aggressive, they are reactive, meaning they will avoid conflict with larger animals like humans. Snakes will defend themselves if they feel threatened, but biting is an absolute last resort since it increases their chances of serious harm. They will attempt to escape dangerous confrontations and if you happen to be between them and escape then they will head in that direction. The “chasing” is coincidental and the snake is just heading towards safety, the best thing a human can do in this case is back away and allow the snake to escape.
“All venomous snakes have triangular-shaped heads.”
If one looks in the viper family, then this myth does hold some validity, but the problem is that not all venomous snakes are vipers. It is easy to invalidate this myth by taking a look at animals like coral snakes that are venomous but have rounded heads, showing that the shape of the head is not a definitive indicator of the presence of venom.
“If you kill a snake its mate will show up and try to take revenge.”
A simple depiction of the organ location in snakes. The tail is the portion at the end with no organs.
This myth, in particular, is one that brings me the most frustration because it is usually attached to a gruesome post on social media where a small-minded individual is proudly displaying the mutilated body of a snake that had the misfortune of being spotted. First of all, there is no reason to be killing snakes in the name of safety because most devastating bites occur when someone not giving the animal enough space to escape and the best way to keep snakes away from your home is to eliminate things that will attract their favorite food, rodents. But the other thing wrong with this myth is that it is anthropomorphizing snakes by projecting the human emotion of “revenge” onto them. Snakes are not even social animals, so they do not form attachments to other individuals, even their mates, and finding one snake does not mean another one is nearby.
If one snake is killed their mate will not show up and try to seek revenge, actually, just leave the first snake alone. If the animal really does need to be removed hop online and find someone who is trained that can safely catch the animal and release them back into the wild. Do not put yourself in danger by attempting to harm or kill snakes.
“Snakes are basically really long tails with a head attached.”
It is very easy to see where this myth comes from because snakes are fairly tubular and it is difficult to identify what is the body and what is the tail when you are not sure what to look for. Basically snakes are a very long body with a relatively short tail that starts at the vent which is where the snake eliminates waste. This is easy to see when you take a look at a diagram of the basic skeletal structure and internal anatomy of a snake.
“You can age a rattlesnake by counting the segments on the rattle.”
While it is true that rattlesnakes gain a rattle segment every time they shed, the problem here lies with the fact that they shed multiple times a year making it impossible to age a rattlesnake with this method. Rattlesnakes also periodically lose the older segments of their rattles, further making aging them this way impossible.
“Snakes are slimy.”
I find that most of the people that believe this myth have never actually felt a snake and are basing this belief on the fact that snake scales appear shiny in the light. While animals, like frogs, that are slimy are also shiny in the light, being shiny does not mean an animal also has to be slimy. Snakes do not have mucus or slime producing glands and thus are not slimy creatures. If you do get the opportunity to touch a snake, you will find out that they are smooth.
“There is no such thing as maternal care in the snake world.”
It is true that there is limited maternal care in the snake world, but that does mean that it is entirely absent. There are quite a few species that will coil around their clutch of eggs until they hatch, keeping them safe from predation. As noted in Reptiles Magazine there has been recent evidence that suggests that rock pythons also care for their young for a short while after they hatch, meaning that maternal care does exist in the snake world.
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