12 popular snake myths you shouldn't believe

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Spoiler alert: Some of these misconceptions can be dangerous.

1. Snakes are slippery to the touch

Nothing like this. Like other reptiles, snakes are covered with smooth, dry scales. And it's not slippery at all.

This misconception has arisen because snakes are confused with amphibians. Most frogs and toads have really wet and slippery skin. It is covered with a special mucus that protects amphibians from pathogenic bacteria. By the way, warts from her do not appear.

2. Snakes are completely deaf

Since snakes do not have eardrums, for a long time scientists believed that they could not hear anything at all. However, recent research 1.

2. refute this. The inner ear of snakes is able to pick up the vibrations of the skull as well as the lower jaw. Figuratively speaking, the snake's whole head serves as an ear.

By pressing their jaw to the ground, the snakes read the vibrations of the soil.

They hear quite well everything that is happening around them - for example, the steps of people, the rustling of small prey, and so on. Snakes use their hearing to hunt. They are best at picking up low-frequency sounds, and less sensitive to high-frequency sounds.

3. Snakes love milk

There is a belief that snakes crawl into sheds at night, dig into the udders of cows and greedily drink milk. Alternatively, if you want to befriend a reptile, you can put milk in a bowl and she will drink it.

This is an old myth that has existed since time immemorial, but it has no foundation. All snakes are predators. They feed only on the animals they get, sometimes on insects or even eggs, swallowing them whole. And like all other reptiles, snakes cannot metabolize lactose.

Indians give cobras this drink during the Nagapanchami holiday, which makes them sick and even dies.

In fact, snakes prefer clean water, but they drink quite a bit.

4. Snakes can hypnotize their victims

The wise Kaa hypnotized the Bandarlog with his mysterious gaze. But real snakes rely more on a sharp attack, venom, or squeezing hugs.

The myth about the ability of snakes to enter their victims into a trance with a gaze, most likely, appeared due to their manner of hunting. Snakes carefully check the moment before throwing, preparing to pounce on an unsuspecting victim. And their unblinking gaze (due to the absence of eyelids) creates a mystical, otherworldly sensation. It won't take long to believe in hypnosis.

5. Boas strangle prey and break its bones

It is believed that boas and pythons kill their victims by depriving them of their oxygen supply. And if the strangler is already very large, then he will simply break the bone of the prey, forcing it to die in agony.

A typical tactic of a boa constrictor, as it is presented by non-specialists, looks something like this: a reptile pounces on a victim from an ambush, makes a pass to the legs, takes on a strangler …

But in fact, snakes kill by disrupting the blood circulation of the prey. Serpentologist Scott Bobak and colleagues examined heart rate, blood iron balance, and blood pressure in rats that were fed to boa constrictors. And they found that the snake, wrapping itself around the prey, is able to stop its blood flow in a few seconds. Asphyxia has nothing to do with it.

And the boas do not try to break bones at all - although sometimes they do it by accident. The reason is that they swallow their prey whole, and a broken bone can hurt the snake's stomach.

6. Young snakes are more dangerous than adults

It is believed that young snakes sting more than adults. They have not yet learned how to control how much poison to inject, and therefore they bite with all desperation. In turn, older snakes are more experienced and consume poison more economically.

Well, there really isn't any data 1.

2., which would confirm this theory. On the contrary, even a small bite of an adult snake introduces more poison into the victim's body than the bite of a smaller snake, simply because its corresponding glands have developed better.

Interesting fact: the venom of young and adult snakes of the same species may differ in composition.

For example, the venom of young brown snakes is different from that of adults, because the cubs prey on reptiles and amphibians, and when they grow up, they switch to mammals. But it's not just age - toxicity 1.

2. The venom of snakes can vary from individual to individual. In addition, human susceptibility to poison is also uneven.

7. Snakes have a dislocation of the lower jaw while eating

Watch this huge African rock python swallow a juvenile antelope whole. Beware, these shots can be shocking if you have a fine mental organization or belong to hoofed mammals.

How does he do it? Many believe that snakes can deliberately dislocate their jaw when feeding, and then insert the joints into place. However, it is not.

Snakes simply do not need to do this. Their lower jaw is divided into two halves. At rest, these parts touch, forming the serpentine equivalent of what humans call the chin. But when a reptile needs to open its mouth really wide, the halves of the lower jaw part, stretching the elastic skin. No dislocation - everything is arranged much more elegantly.

8. The deadliest snakes live in Australia

Australia has a reputation for being the most dangerous continent in the world for its fauna.

Kangaroos who love kickboxing will easily break your neck with a mighty kick from their hind leg. Plate-sized Australian spiders are capable of infiltrating even the most inaccessible places and waiting for unsuspecting suburban residents there. And even harmless platypuses have poisonous spurs on their hind legs.

But, as many believe, the most terrible danger of this insane continent - snakes.

Indeed, the most venomous land snake in the world lives in Australia. This is Taipan McCoy, who needs to make one "bite" to fill up 100 people.

However, in reality, the reputation of Australian snakes is worse than they deserve. Annually 1.

2. in the world from the bites of these reptiles die from 81 to 138 thousand people. In Australia, for this reason, there are approximately two deaths a year.

The most deadly reptiles are the Indian cobra (aka spectacle snake), blue bungarus, Russell's viper and sand efa. They are called the Big Four because they kill the most people. They live in India as well as some other regions of Asia. In addition, medicine is not very good there, and often no one can help or even try to help bitten victims.

9. Non-venomous snakes are not dangerous

In total, about 3,900 species of snakes are known in the world, of which only a quarter are poisonous. The rest do not use poison. Some people inexperienced in serpentology believe that all sorts of non-poisonous snakes and snakes are absolutely safe, and children can even play with them. But this is a delusion.

Even non-venomous snakes can bite, and it is very painful if they consider that they are in danger. Their teeth cause extremely unpleasant damage to human tissues, and often an infection gets into the wound.

Therefore, snakes that are kept as pets should be handled very carefully and carefully, and wild reptiles should not be touched at all.

Also, sometimes 1.

2. Non-venomous reptiles, such as long-toothed snakes or garter snakes, purposefully eat poisonous frogs, toads and newts, accumulating toxins in the body.

This helps them kill predators that attack them, such as ravens and foxes. Moreover, snakes somehow manage to determine how strong the poison of the creature they intend to use is, and stay away from too dangerous.

10. Snakes are aggressive and vindictive

Perhaps the most famous myth about snakes is the claim that they have a vicious disposition. When we seek to characterize a vengeful and vindictive person, we compare him with this particular reptile.

It is believed that if you kill one snake in pair, the other will avenge the death of his beloved.

Having seen his killed girlfriend, the male will braid her and will grieve and mourn for a long time, and then he will certainly find and bite the offender.

But actually snakes are 1.

2.

3. are not inclined to building close social ties and do not form permanent pairs, remaining alone outside the breeding seasons.

They are incapable of remembering people's faces and recognizing those who have harmed them in the past, and will not seek or pursue offenders. Snakes are not inclined to attack a person - they will bite only if they believe that something is threatening them. And when the reptile is not scared, it behaves rather passively.

11. Snakes dance to the music of the fakir

The art of conjuring snakes originated in Egypt, but gained the greatest popularity in India. Now, however, this profession is banned there, but only officially. Snake charmers can still be found in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

Some believe that the snake hears the sounds of the punga flute and dances to them. Others argue that the reptile is deaf and is fascinated by the caster's calibrated movements.

In fact, both are wrong. Snakes, as we have already said, really do not hear high sounds very well, therefore they are not interested in fakir music. On the other hand, the caster not only plays the flute, but also stomps his feet, frightening the reptile - and she already hears these sounds.

The snake takes the pungi in the hands of the fakir for a predator and repeats its movements, getting up in an aggressive stance to scare him away. It is these actions that are mistaken for dance.

Some fakirs put the snake in a plastic bag before the performance in order to slightly strangle it and make it lethargic - then it will not rush at the caster. Others sew up the snake's mouth with fishing line or simply pull out the reptile's teeth. This clearly demonstrates how cruel the craft is and why it should be banned.

And yes, the snake is not able to stand on the tip of its tail while dancing and balance on it, like a ballerina.

12. If you are bitten by a snake, you need to suck out the poison

Very often in adventure films, we see how the hero-survivalist, who has been bitten by a snake, chops off its head, hastily cuts the wound with a knife and sucks the poison out of the affected area. And then he spits with disgust and goes on safe and sound.

However, this is a delusion, and a dangerous one.

Blood, and with it the poison, moves through the body very, very quickly. And it is simply impossible to suck out at least some significant amount of poison to help the victim. Cutting a wound is also more likely to harm, as it can easily reward a person with an infection.

And a tourniquet is completely disastrous, because it forces the poison to concentrate in the selected part of the body, which can even lead to the loss of a limb.

More correct 1.

2. will hold the affected limb still so that it is located below the ribcage, and remain calm, not allowing the heart to beat too intensely. Of course, this is easier said than done, but this will slow down the spread of the poison throughout the body. Wash the wound with soap. Do not use pain relievers, much less alcohol. Go to the hospital immediately.

And yes, don't try to grab or attack the snake. Even the snake's head, separated from the body, continues to bite reflexively. It is better to just run away: reptiles do not hunt people, so the snake will not chase you.