A myth can be described as a kind of story that people believe explains something about the world in which they live. Sometimes we call them "folk tales", "fables" or "old wife's tales". These myths usually evolve around the forces of nature, supernatural or spiritual beings, ancestors or heroes, and historical accounts. Most myths have been around for many generations, in fact some of them can even be traced back to ancient times.
In times past, most people accepted myths as being true explanations of things they experienced. The vast majority of these old myths about snakes have been proven to be false and are generally thought of as being fiction, or at best half-truths. However, today in a society where most people are well-educated and routinely question things in terms of historical and scientific accuracy, it is amazing that so many otherwise intelligent people still believe all of the old myths concerning snakes. Unfortunately, a number of these people use some of these "myths" as their justification for the needless and wanton slaughter and inhumane destruction of any snake they happen upon.
While there are many snake myths, we are going to look at just a few of the ones that still seem to be alive and well today.
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MYTH: When confronted with danger, mother snakes swallow their young, spitting them out later once the danger has passed.
TRUTH: Parental care is not very well developed trait in snakes and there is certainly no evidence that mother snakes protect their young in this way. This myth may result from the fact that some snakes do eat other smaller snakes, even those of their own species.
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MYTH: Snakes are "slimy".
TRUTH: Snakes and other reptiles such as lizards, turtles and crocodilians all have scales and are not "slimy" when touched. When touched, a snake's skin feels much like a smooth, dry piece of leather. On the other hand, amphibians such as frogs and salamanders do not have scales and they may have a moist "slimy" feel when touched.
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MYTH: Milk snakes are so named because of their ability to suck milk directly from the udders of cows.
TRUTH: Even though milk snakes are sometimes found around barns where milk cows may be kept, they and all other snakes completely lack the anatomy necessary to suck milk from a cow's udder. Milk does not constitute a source of food for any species of snake. Barns are attractive to many species of snakes because they provide abundant food in the form of mice and small rats.
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MYTH: "Hoop snakes" are dangerous snakes. When surprised one of these snakes will grab its tail in its mouth, form a "hoop" with its body, and chase a person in this manner. Another version of this myth says that the "hoop snake" uses this means to escape from a threat. Yet another version claims that the snake will roll down a hill killing anything and everything in its path.
TRUTH: There is no such thing as a "hoop snake". You won't find one in any zoo or museum because they don't and have never existed.
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MYTH: All Venomous snakes have triangular shaped heads.
TRUTH: This is not necessarily true. Indeed SOME venomous snakes do have triangular shaped heads but there are some others (such as the Coral Snake) that do not. Also, a great number of other non-venomous snakes do have triangular shaped heads. This is not a good way to determine between venomous and non-venomous snakes.
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MYTH: Snakes sting with their tongues.
TRUTH: This is not true. A snake's tongue is a sensory organ much like our own human tongues. Snakes use their tongues to sample their surroundings for odors and smells. This is a means for them to identify and track prey animals on which they feed. All snakes including both harmless and venomous species have rows of small teeth which they use to seize and hold their prey with. In addition, venomous snakes have hollow fangs that function much like a hypodermic syringe to inject their venom. A snake's tongue is harmless.
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MYTH: If you are sleeping outside on the ground at night, place a rope around your bedroll because snakes will not cross a rope. Another varation of this myth is that snakes will not cross a railroad track, so many of the illegal aliens crossing into the U.S. on foot frequently sleep on the railroad tracks to keep the snakes away.
TRUTH: Snakes will in fact cross a rope on the ground. They will also cross railroad tracks. Unfortunately, many of those people who sought safety from snakes by sleeping on the railroad have met with a much more deadly danger than the snakes that they feared.
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MYTH: You can tell the age of a rattlesnake by the number of rattles on its tail.
TRUTH: You can not determine the age of a rattlesnake by counting its rattles. Rattlesnakes are born with a single button. They gain an additional rattle each time they shed their skin. The frequency of a snake's skin shedding varies greatly depending on it's overall growth rate, its supply of food, and it's general health. In addition rattlesnakes frequently loose or break off segments of their rattles due to accidents and other mishaps.
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MYTH: Hognose snakes (sometimes incorrectly called
puff adders) mix poison with their breath and can kill a person at a distance of twenty-five feet.
TRUTH: When confronted, the harmless hognose snake and several other species of snakes will sometimes puff themselves up and hiss in order in an attempt to frighten off their intruder, but their breath is harmless.
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MYTH: Snakes will chase people.
TRUTH: Snakes are not vicious or vengeful animals. When confronted by a human all they want to do is to escape. If you happen to be standing between a snake and its hiding place, you may find yourself in their path, but they are not interested in chasing after you.
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MYTH: The venomous Cottonmouth can not bite underwater.
TRUTH: This is not true. They can bite underwater. One of their primary food sources are fish. If they can not bite underwater, how do you suppose they catch and eat those fish?
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MYTH: Coachwhips will chase a person down and whip them to death.
TRUTH: Not true. Snakes don't chase people. While coachwhips do have a uniform color and a pattern that somewhat resembles a braided whip, they do not whip people. If a person picks up a coachwhip, it is likely to thrash around wildly and perhaps wrap its body around the person's arm in a desperate attempt to escape, but is does not whip people...much less whip someone to death.
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MYTH: The only good snake is a dead snake.
TRUTH: Perhaps this is not really a myth but rather just the mindset of some uninformed and irresponsible people. It is about as acceptable as the old adage of "Kill 'em all and let God sort them out." It is an irresponsible position to take. Snakes occupy a very important niche in the balance of nature. They serve a purpose in nature. If we killed off all the snakes in the world, the rodent and insect popluation which already does millions and millions of dollars worth of damage each year to our agricultural crops and food supplies would then be almost totaly unchecked and the losses that they cause would become even more staggering. Yes, snakes really are useful animals. Yes there are occasions, such as when a "venomous snake" shows up in your back yard where your children and pets may encounter it, that you are justified in destroying it for safety reasons. But there is no justification for the wholesale killing of every snake that you might encounter. Worldwide, less than 10% of snake species are venomous. Only 15 of the 109 varieties of snakes found in Texas are venomous. It takes very little time and effort to learn to correctly identify the few venomous species that might occur in your local area.
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