TIL scientists stepped on 175 rattlesnakes with a fake leg to see how many would bite. The study found that only 6 bit. The rest just froze or tried to wiggle away. Snakes just want to be left alone.
This is one of those lines of research that started with 3 postdocs, a couple bottles of wine, and the sentence, "I'll bet you I could get a grant to..."
What if they just smelled or otherwise knew it was fake?
A threat's a threat, I doubt snakes are aware of the fact that they even have venom, much less that it only works on certain living biological entities. But I'm no Snake Scientist, so I could obviously be totally wrong.
There is alot of room for bias here. Is the fake foot a realistic proxy of an orgional? Can the snake recognize the difference? You don't fistfight a book or other object falling onto you. Would a snake bite a rock that shifted onto it when it bumps into it?
How much pressure is the fake foot applying? A person accidentally stepping on a snake would apply their whole weight because they didn't know it was there. Likely hurting the snake and warrenting a more significant and immediate response. I doubt the fake foot was applying the same force because of ethical reasons.
Edit: Phrasing
Snakes only produce a small amount of venom and it takes days to replenish reserves. They have fine muscle control over how much venom they release and scientists have measured them releasing amounts of venom relative to the size of their target.
Not sure how aware they are of doing it but I wouldn't be surprised with all of a viper's sensory organs that they knew venom would go to waste on a prosthetic
They aren't worried about what sort of appendage is going towards them. They don't have that level of cognition. I should think that if you piss off a gorilla with a fake leg, that gorilla would understand that it's a fake leg and still be mad at you.
Theyre pit vipers with heat sensory organs.
I think the biggest factor is pressure. A person would put their full weight down because they don't know the snake is there. This would probably hurt the snake and warrent a panic/significant response. I doubt the fake foot was applied with the same pressure because ethical reasons.
Maybe the behavior of rattlesnakes is different than other species, but I spent a lot of time catching and handling garter snakes as a kid and I very rarely was bitten. They are most likely to bite if you grab them around the middle and hold on. Normally they will just poop on you and try to get away.
The battle in my neighborhood about whether it was garter or guarder snake was intense. No internet and two different kids moms told us two different things so it was a heated battle. One kid couldn't pronounce neither he ended up called them Horton snakes for some reason like Tim Hortons. Some kids thought they were garden snakes cus they lived in the garden. Pre internet was a different time man.
Wow just like people
TIL garter snakes are just like most people.
Kinda of funny considering the whole 'Don't Tread On Me' slogan
Don't Tread On Me ..... or else there is a high likelihood I won't do anything and a very small chance I might bite you.
Don't thread on them with your real or fake legs. They just want to be left alone and chill while listening to snake jazz.
listening to snake jaz
All the time bemoaning their lack of jazz hands
don't step on snek
unless it's for science
Introverted snakes fr fr
This is the best summary I could come up with:
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In a Phoenix-area venomous snake training course, the first thing students learn is that basically everything they thought they knew about rattlesnakes is a myth.
The sanctuary holds the class for the public and businesses in the spring, as rattlesnakes wake up from their winter-long naps, known in the reptile kingdom as brumation.
The trainings run through a host of rattlesnake information before teaching people how to safely grab snakes with tongs, plop them in a bucket and remove them from their homes.
Arizona saw a surge in rattlesnake bites in April, according to data provided to NPR on Wednesday by the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center.
It balled itself in knots, slithered through the tongs and, a couple of times, popped its head over the bucket and peered at the crowd.
Kelley Fox is the urban wildlife planner for Arizona's Pinal County, and has been studying reptiles for years.
The original article contains 1,208 words, the summary contains 154 words. Saved 87%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
If this pans out with other studies, it tells me that most snakebites are usually caused by people attempting to handle them.
Kinda unfair to pick on a rattlesnake with a fake leg.
Still, 4% chance of a rattlesnake bite is 4% too high under normal conditions.
So leave them alone.
As a proud member of the snake community, I would ask that you stand with us in this difficult time.
they just like me fr.
No wonder why i like snakes so much.