04/24/2018
Found this, thought I should share it with all of you.
SNAKE MYTHS:
#1. "Snakes will chase you." This is absoulety untrue. A snake will not chase you. In fact, they'd rather run away from you. People are actually the ones who chase them, trying to terrorize them, when you should just let them be.
#2. "Venomous snakes have slit pupils (or cat eyes) and non-venomous snakes have round pupils." This is one of the biggest myths I hear all the time. Going by a snakes eyes is a horrible way to determine whether or not they're venomous. Many venomous snakes have round pupils, for example the Coral Snake.
#3. "Snakes are poisonous." Snakes are venomous, not poisonous (of course some are non-venomous). There is a difference between the two. Poison has to be eaten, drunk, absorbed into your skin, or inhaled for it to affect you. Venom has to injected into you for it to affect you. Their are a handful of snakes that are poisonous, but those are extremely rare (the Tiger Keelback is an example).
#4. "Only venomous snakes have heat seaking pits." Venomous snakes are not the only snakes that have heat seaking pits. A lot of pythons and boas have pits on their face, which help them tract down their prey. My Ball Python has heat pits and she's non-venomous.
#5. "Snakes will only grow to the size of their enclosure." This is controlled by genetics, nutrients, and what's being fed to the animal, not the size of the environment. The stress of being in a small enclosure WILL limit an animal's growing potential, but this is not something you really want.
#6. "Snakes are slimy." Snakes are not slimy, they're actually soft. I don't know exactly how to describe how they feel, but they aren't slimy. They just look that way because of the iridescents on their scales.
#7. "Snakes never sleep." Snakes sleep just like you and me, they need rest too. They don't have eye lids which makes it look like they're always awake.
#8. "Baby, venomous snakes are more deadly because they can't control their venom." The toxicity levels are higher, but there is no scientific proof at all that baby snakes can't control their venom.
#9. "All snakes lay eggs." Some snakes actually give live birth. Boas are a species that give live birth.
#10. "Rattlesnakes add a rattle each year, this is how you can tell how old they are." Rattlesnakes add a rattle each time they shed, and they can shed several times a year. An individual may, also, lose rattles as they break off. Therefore, counting rattles is not a way to tell a rattlesnake's age.
#11. "Snakes can only bite if they're in a S shape." Snakes can strike from any position. If a person grabs a snake's body the snake can turn extremely quickly and bite the hand that holds it. Even if you have they're head pinned, if you're not holding them secure enough they can maneuver their head (even if it's slightly) just enough to bite you.
#12. "Removing venomous snakes fangs makes them harmless."
Removing the fangs of a venomous snake does not make that snake harmless. A new pair will soon replace the lost fangs and they'll always have their venom glands.
#13. "Red to yellow, kill a fellow. Red to black friend of jack." This is not reliable. Some species of coral snake are red to black as well as some other species.
#14. "Snakes will size you up." Snakes have no sense of measurement, so it's impossible for them to size anything up.
#15. "Rattlesnakes always rattle before they strike." Startled rattlesnakes may not rattle before striking defensively. Snakes detect when something's approaching through vibrations. Sometimes they don't always sense our vibrations, so they don't always have time to warn us.
#16. "Snakes can't strike underwater." Snakes can bite in water just as easily as they can on land. Their strike range may be limited, but they can still bite. Some species of snakes even hunt in water and feed on fish.
#17. "Snakes can sting you with their tails." Some snakes have pointed tails and they'll normally poke you with the end of it to make you think you've been stung just to make you let go of them. There is no venom or anything stored in their tails, it's just a way for them to get away.
#18. "Snakes dislocate their jaws to eat." Flexibility is what they use to eat, not dislocation. A snakes lower jaw is split into two halves, the tips touch to form the equivalent of a chin. These bones aren't fused together like ours. The top jaw, also, has a similar way of maneuvering. Their skin is quite stretchy, as well, which is why their skin doesn't tear.
#19. "Snakes are deaf." Snakes still possess inner ears, but they only sense vibrations. Once vibrations are picked up, the soundwaves are sent to the brain and processed.
#20. "If the snake has a triangular head, it's venomous." Some species of non-venomous snakes (for example, Rat Snakes) will flatten their heads out to mimic venomous snakes. Some species of venomous snakes have round heads, as well, such as the Coral Snake. Going by this myth could get you in trouble.
Please educate yourself and leave wildlife alone, everything you hear about them isn't true.
