A chilling video captures the terrifying reflex of a highly venomous rattlesnake after its head was severed, leaving many witnesses shuddering.
The clip, shared on Reddit, shows a rattlesnake that had its head chopped off. The owner of the video mentioned that he discovered the snake in his garden and decided to use a shovel to sever its head due to concerns that it could pose a danger to his family.
Remarkably, after its head was severed, the snake’s body continued to wriggle without dying immediately. In fact, when the body accidentally touched the severed head, it reacted by delivering a fatal bite, causing the body to thrash in pain.
The video has “gone viral” on Reddit before being shared across various other social media platforms. Many internet users expressed their shock and horror at the scene depicted in the clip.
“It’s horrifying. Perhaps the snake’s head reacted instinctively when something else touched it, immediately delivering such a terrifying bite. Anyone who accidentally comes into contact with the snake’s head in this situation could potentially be bitten fatally,” commented one Reddit user.
Yang Hong Chang, a snake expert from Taiwan who has spent over 40 years researching venomous snakes, stated that all reptiles can remain active for over an hour after losing a body part or even just their head.
“When a snake loses its head, the body’s functions essentially cease, but some reflex actions can still occur“, Yang Hong Chang explained. “This means that the snake can still bite and inject venom even if only its head remains.”
Mr. Yang mentioned that the venom glands of venomous snakes are entirely located in the snake’s head, so when the head is severed, the venom glands can still function and pump venom through the fangs as usual.
Even after being beheaded, the snake can still inject venom through its fangs as usual. (Image taken from the clip).
In fact, there have been numerous cases of venomous snakes still biting people after being decapitated, especially with those who mistakenly thought the snake was dead and carelessly touched its head.
For instance, in 2018, a chef named Pang living in Foshan City (Guangdong Province, China) decapitated a Indochinese cobra to prepare a dish. While holding the severed head to throw it in the trash, Pang was unexpectedly bitten on the hand by the head. Assuming the snake was dead and that the bite was not dangerous, he did not go to the hospital and unfortunately died shortly thereafter. Notably, the snake had been decapitated 20 minutes prior.
In 2020, a man living in Texas (USA) chopped off the head of a rattlesnake when he saw the creature crawling into his house. When he reached to pick up the snake to dispose of it, he was bitten on the hand by the severed head. He was later taken to the hospital in critical condition but was fortunate to be saved by doctors after a week of intensive care.
The aforementioned clip serves as a testament that a venomous snake can still bite and kill, even after being decapitated. Therefore, people need to remain vigilant and absolutely avoid handling or touching the head of a venomous snake, even if it has been severed from its body.
