Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When I lived in Texas a Diamondback took up residency in my chicken coop. Stayed for about a year. Never hurt any chickens but kept the rat and mouse population at zero.
Never once did it act aggressive. It usually stayed behind the feed box. We sort of had a relationship of mutual respect and nobody got hurt
That's amazing ... Were you aware the snake could have easily killed you?
Being a lover of snakes, I just cant see why people have so much hatred towards these amazing animals. Is it ignorance? I find snakes to be one of the most forgiving animals in the entire animal kingdom. By that I mean they usually flee, and give ample warning that theyre upset, well before they bite. And even then their bites are mild, and even venomous snakes hesitate to inject venom (aka a "dry bite").
If you despise snakes, can I ask why it is that you do? I often find that those who educate themselves about snakes usually end up developing a soft spot for snakes. I would encourage you to do the same.
I don't like snakes. They are scary and they eat rodents or rodent-like creatures.
But I think everybody else hates snakes because of religious influences.
-Snakes were mentioned in the bible as the devil in disguise
-some folks get over-phobia of snakes being poisonous
-an animal that slithers just seems odd and perhaps even creepy
-"you snake" and "don't worry, he's our snake now" has someone gotten around and given snakes a bad name
-media further perpetuates this in their news and stories
-In some places, snakes are especially NOT allowed. e.g. apartments will allow cats, dogs, fish, and even reptiles, but snakes not having legs can get into the toilet and cause a ruckus amongst the pipes
-I'm willing to bet there have been far more movies about killer snakes or where they still play a major role. Contrast that to your typical killer cat or killer dog movie Even if it were made, there would be enough public outcry against it.
I should clarify my statements...I don't hate Snakes at all...I'm actually fascinated with Snake venom (I'm a chem/bio major) and have studied it with interest....The thing is after looking into it for some time I am sure glad I don't live near lots of venomous snakes.....Even through bites and deaths are very rare in the US they sure aren't rare in other less developed parts of the world....and when you read into what the venom can do it's pretty terrifying.....I'm glad we don't have that many deadly snakes here in the US.....And the ones that are will usually warn us (rattlesnakes) so we don't accidentally step on them or are not life threatening like copper heads..
The only things I truly dislike are Mosquitoes/Ticks/Bed Bugs etc.
That's amazing ... Were you aware the snake could have easily killed you?
Not really. They usually are not aggressive. I also had quite a bit of experience in handling rattle snakes.
While a rattle snake bite is extremely painful, there is no reason for it to be life threatening. But it is much easier to avoid being bitten. Knowing the snake was there, was 99% of avoiding being bitten. kept me alert and not putting my hands and feet where I might pose a threat to it. Rattle snakes are not aggressive, but they are very defensive. Don't pose a threat to them and they are not likely to bother you.
Rattle snake bites are usually avoidable. The typical bite occurs when somebody accidentally steps on one.
Quote:
Each year, approximately 8,000 venomous snakebites occur in the United States.1,2 Between 1960 and 1990, no more than 12 fatalities from snake venom poisoning were reported annually.3,4 Most snakebites occur between April and October, when outdoor activities are popular.5
I do disagree with part of that report. I personally believe the most bites will be from copperheads, not rattlesnakes. However people often misidentify them as rattlesnakes. But a copperhead bite is nearly always non-fatal the average copperhead does not have a lethal dosage of venom to deliver.
Having been bitten several times by copperheads I will attest it is a very painful experience and one I have no desire to repeat. But that is not going to cause me to kill one deliberately, too easy to catch and relocate them, no need to harm them, we are the invaders they were here long before us. Moot point though none are known to be in the region I now live in
Also most people who get killed by snakes in poor countries like India get killed because they accidentally step on them in them while working in the fields or they get bitten when they move around in their sleep and the snake is crawling on them (looking for lizards and other prey items in the huts that people live in)....So in those cases it's not the persons "fault" that they got bitten....It is an unavoidable accident or just bad luck....
I think that Venomous snakes in Asia/Africa are much more aggressive than snakes in American/Australia....Ask any keeper and he will tell you the same thing....They have lived with Humans for thousands of years and are more on alert around humans than in OZ or America....They seem to be less afraid of humans aswell....Most of the Australian snakes that I have seen avoid humans at all costs....Not the same thing for Snakes from the larger continents.
That would depend on where you live....Ask that question in India and you might get a much less positive opinion about snakes being that they kill 20,000-40,000 people EACH year....
Yes there are....You think highly evolved intelligent mammals like Humans and Dolphins are on the same playing field and are as important to the ecosystem as worthless pests such as Ticks and Mosquitoes???
I personally don't mind snakes, but that's because I live in a safe 1st world nation where the chance of me getting bit are near 0....If I lived in a poor 3rd world farming society I would probably think differently of them...
Fair points, but I felt that your post came off as a bit condescending.
I don't disagree entirely with what you wrote, and yes, I was addressing the irrational fear of snakes that I have personally observed living in North America. Your points are good if looking at it on a worldwide scale. However, you mentioned (twice) disease harboring insects. I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment about ticks and mosquitoes, but you bolded my points that were supportive of your argument and ignored the points that I made about the benefits of snakes to humans, including the fact that snakes keep the number of rodents down, the same rodents that destroy crops and harbor the diseases that are passed along to humans through insects.
I'm well aware that there are large numbers of aggressive and venomous snakes in India and Africa, and that they are a legitimate concern. I am empathetic to those people and understand their fear and apprehension of snakes and even their wishes to get rid of them. I don't, however, empathize with the common generalizations that all snakes are bad, nor do I agree with people damning the entire order to hell and running them over and cutting their heads off because they are incapable of looking past the fact that they are not cute and furry or that they can't snuggle with them on the couch and watch TV.
Hope this clarifies.
Last edited by NJmmadude; 03-19-2015 at 10:03 AM..
Not really. They usually are not aggressive. I also had quite a bit of experience in handling rattle snakes.
While a rattle snake bite is extremely painful, there is no reason for it to be life threatening. But it is much easier to avoid being bitten. Knowing the snake was there, was 99% of avoiding being bitten. kept me alert and not putting my hands and feet where I might pose a threat to it. Rattle snakes are not aggressive, but they are very defensive. Don't pose a threat to them and they are not likely to bother you.
Rattle snake bites are usually avoidable. The typical bite occurs when somebody accidentally steps on one.
I do disagree with part of that report. I personally believe the most bites will be from copperheads, not rattlesnakes. However people often misidentify them as rattlesnakes. But a copperhead bite is nearly always non-fatal the average copperhead does not have a lethal dosage of venom to deliver.
Having been bitten several times by copperheads I will attest it is a very painful experience and one I have no desire to repeat. But that is not going to cause me to kill one deliberately, too easy to catch and relocate them, no need to harm them, we are the invaders they were here long before us. Moot point though none are known to be in the region I now live in
Most Vipers/Pit Vipers (not all) have low mortality rates even when untreated...That's because their venom doesn't generally cause systemic symptoms in Adult humans it usually just causes intense local swelling/damage and in severe cases gangrene and necrosis (which can require skin grafts and in rare cases amputation)....
Snakes like Puff Adders, Fer De Lances, Rattlesnakes won't usually kill you (even if untreated), but can cause some horrifying damage to the bite area....Look what happened to Bear Gryll's producer when he accidentally stepped on a Fer De Lance snake in Costa Rica....Getting a severe bite from one of these snakes (Rattlesnake, Puff Adder, Fer De Lance) is basically the equivalent to throwing a bucket of acid on the bite area....You won't be dead, but the bite and surrounding area will be damaged for good..
As you can see...Not usually life threatening, but nasty as hell
On the other hand most Elapid snakes (not all) kill by paralysing the diaphragm through neurotoxic venom so if you can get the victim on a ventilator (assisted breathing machine) or give him Anti-venom you can usually save their life and they will likely have no long term damage from the bite (once the neurotoxin is cleared from the body they will be able to breathe on their own)....
I would take a neurotoxic Black Mamba bite over a Puff Adder/Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake bite anyday of the week....Because in the year 2015 we have the proper medical technology (Ventillators) to defeat the Mambas method of killing...and like most Elapids (not all) if you survive the neurotoxin you usually have no long term damage at all from the bite.....Take a bite from a snake with Cyto-toxic venom like the Vipers I listed (destroys cells) and you won't die, but you might wish you had....
Of course there are exceptions in both Vipers and Elapids....Some Vipers can cause systematic life threatening blood disorders and kidney failure (Russell's Viper, Some types of Rattlesnakes etc) with their Venom's and some Elapids cause extremely painful bites that cause skin and tissue necrosis (Spitting Cobras).....
Last edited by NY to Chicago; 03-20-2015 at 10:36 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Because Snakes Are Scary But Also:
Even if it were made, there would be enough public outcry against it.
