Dead Snakes Can Still Bite

Snakes – for many, just the mention of the word stirs a sort of primal fear.  In fact, a fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias. For some reason, I’ve never been that bothered by snakes. I’ll pick up the ones I know aren’t poisonous, and I let those that are go about their business unless they’re in an area where they pose a threat to humans.  Although they don’t scare me too badly, I do keep a watchful eye out for them.  And, I always take special care when handling a dead snake, unlike the poor fellow from Alabama who recently got bit by a copperhead he’d just decapitated with a machete. Not realizing that dead snakes can still bite, the man stuck his finger in the snake’s mouth. The bodiless snake bit down on the man’s finger, injecting its venom. Fortunately, after treatment at a local hospital, the man recovered from the bite.  

I’ve always been amazed by how lingering nerve reflexes allow a snake to bite long after it’s dead. I witnessed such an event several years ago while deer hunting at White Oak Plantation in Tuskegee, Ala.  One of the hunters had killed a rattlesnake during his hunt.  He brought the snake back to the lodge and placed it in the grass for everyone to see. The dead snake laid out there for at least an hour or so while we all ate lunch. After lunch, the hunter walked outside and picked the snake up by the tail. When he did, the snake spun around and tried to bite him. The snake’s head was literally hanging by a piece of skin, yet it still managed to aim directly at the hunter. I understand nerve reflexes caused its actions, but I don’t understand how in the world it was able to aim at the hunter with its head almost completely removed from its body.

Do any of you have the answer to this question? Have you ever been bitten by a snake? Have you ever had a dead snake bite or try to bite you?