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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Rattled #163775 11/27/2006 4:01 PM Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 500 Northern Ontario, Canada Elizabeth Creith addict Elizabeth Creith addict Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 500 Northern Ontario, Canada The other day I came across this: "A study done on people treated for rattlesanke bites revealed that almost 15% of patients claimed theeir attacker was dead. One man shot a snake, cut off the body and waited five minutes after the animal had stopped moving. When he picked up the head, the head lunged and chomped down on his finger. When he grabbed his finger in pain, the head bit him again on the other hand. The study concluded that a decapitated rattlesnake should be treated like a very short snake." I compare this to the folk belief that a decapitated snake's head lives until sundown. Cooler temperatures after nightfall would make reptilian action sluggish at best. I'm amazed that the head could/would still bite that long after decapitation. I know snakes have really simple brains, but wouldn't oxygen deprivation have stopped brain action at that point? How much of a bite is reflex? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Rattled #163776 11/29/2006 12:07 AM Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada Zed Pooh-Bah Zed Pooh-Bah Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada I can see how the mouth would close resulting in a bite either through reflex or simple mechanics since it is concievable that the head would not die until lack of oxygen stopped the brain and muscle functioning. (Ever see a chicken when it's head is cut off?) But lunging is the body pushing the head so there would have to be body attached or the chump put his hand in the mouth. A doctor I worked with did a study showing that 90% of rattlesnake bite victims admitted to our ER fit the same pattern. The victim is male, between 12 and 25, if over 16 he has been drinking and the bite is in the hand. The remaining 10% do not involve trying to catch the bloody thing. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Rattled #163777 11/29/2006 12:34 AM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 I allus thought it was the body that didn't die until sunset, not the head. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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