Photo: Rahul Alvares
Venomous snakes are surely dangerous when alive, and now according to new findings in research, we have reason to be scared of them, even when dead.
According to an August 22nd report by The Daily Mirror, a chef in China died of a fatal bite from a decapitated snake head while preparing cobra soup. The chef was reportedly bitten by the Indochinese Spitting Cobra just twenty minutes after its decapitation. Although this phenomenom seems strange, researchers and snake analysts assure that it can and does happen more often than we think.
“Snakes in general are well known for retaining reflexes after death,” says Steven Beaupré, a biology professor at the University of Arkansas. The head of a snake is comprised of its jaw muscles, venom mechanism, and the nerves controlling these glands and muscles. A snake’s tissue is unusual in the fact that it can last great lengths of time without circulating blood. Therefore, the function of the tissue and its reflexes can endure, even after decapitation. According to Beaupré, biting is a reflex that can remain active in the brain up to hours after a snake’s death. A snake bite is much different from any other carnivorous animal, because all it takes is one swift and stealthy bite to poison their prey. Rattlesnakes can inject venom into their pray in less than two-tenths of a second.
The bodies of dead snakes are known to lash out and lift off of the ground after decapitation, in response to threats around them. In a video posted on The Guardian, a man from Huntsville, Alabama captures a scene of a decapitated Copperhead snake biting its own tail. In response to the bite, the tail of the snake flails around, trying to fight off the perceived enemy. According to Beaupré, these response movements are caused by ions remaining in the nerve cells after death. A reflexive action, such as a bite occurs when these nerves are stimulated. “The bite and envenomation reflex is triggered by some kind of information that comes into the mouth cavity,” Says Beaupré . Perhaps this unlucky Chef put his finger in the snakes mouth, triggering its reflex to bite, and worse, envenomate.
Let this be a lesson to all of us, beware of dead snakes!
References:
Mosbergen, Dominique. “Chef Reportedly Dies After Being Bitten By A Decapitated Snake, But Is That Even Possible?” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Sept. 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/03/decapitated-snake-bite-man-dies_n_5755416.html>.
Iacurel, Jenna. “Severed Snake Heads Still Deliver Dangerous Bite.” Nature World News RSS. Nature World News, 2 Sept. 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. <http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8840/20140902/severed-snake-heads-still-deliver-dangerous-bite.htm>.
Palermo, Elizabeth. “Can a Severed Snake Head Still Kill? It’s Possible.” Live Science. Tech Media Network, 30 Aug. 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. <http://www.livescience.com/47626-severed-snake-head-can-still-bite.html>.
This is such an interesting topic! I honestly never would even think that snakes would still have their reflexes whenever they’re supposedly deceased. That video is something that definitely shocked me. I cannot say I expected that at all. I looked up other creatures that are able to still function after they die, and a few are an Octopus’ tentacles, frogs, and even flies can all function without heads, or bodies! For the frogs, their reflexes can apparently work without the brain, and it will simply bypass the brain by going straight to the area in which it is directed. Animals never cease to amaze me, so thank you for bringing this topic to my attention! It is very interesting!