Even A Severed Snake
Head Can Kill! Find
Out How
Poisonous snakes are scary when they are alive. But there's also reason to fear them after their death.
"Snakes in general are well known for retaining reflexes after death," said Steven Beaupré, a biology professor at the University of Arkansas.
For venomous snakes like cobra and rattlesnakes, the bite reflex is stronger than other and can be activated even hours after its death.
Poisonous snakes use their bite differently than other meat-eaters. They aim for one quick bite before moving away to avoid trampling.
Snakes can rise off the ground in a dangerous pose and strike against a threat, long after suffering a beheading.
"Just because the animal has been decapitated, that doesn't mean the nerves have stopped functioning," Beaupré said.
The nerve cells of a snake contain ions (electrically charged particles). They remain in the body even hours after it death.
When the nerve of a newly
dead snake is stimulated, the channels open up, allowing the
ions to pass through.
It creates an electrical impulse that enables the muscle to carry out a reflexive action, like a bite.
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