As a result of phobias, fears and wives’ tales there a number of widespread myths about snakes that are simply not true: ·
All snakes will try to strangle you or your pet , Only constrictors will attempt to this and there are only two constrictors in North America , the Rosy Boa and the Rubber Boa.
A snake will chase you – There is no factual basis for this myth. A snake usually minds it’s own business as it observes that you are too big to eat. Most snakes tend to leave people alone unless poked, picked up or attacked.
A coiled snake is about to strike and bite , Whether a snake is coiled or not is not any indication of its intentions. The reality is that it can strike from any position.
If you kill a snake another snake will stalk you. — Snakes are not vengeful and they do not have relationships with their brothers and sisters. Their primal reptilian brains simply do not retain the kind of information needed to ,plot revenge., It is also not true that snakes travel in pairs so the survivor can come after you.
A snake will hypnotize you and then strike , The reason a snake seems to have powers of hypnosis is because it has no eyelids and cannot blink. This results in a relentless stare. If it strikes it is doing so because you are staring it directly in the eye, which is not advised with any kind of wild animal.
Snakes can be charmed with music , You have probably seen the quintessential ,snake charmer, in movies and in documentaries blowing on a flute to keep a snake dancing. The primal brain of a snake simply detects the movement of the flute as ,threatening, and responds to it by moving its body to keep a close eye on it. It is not dancing, and snake charming not anything that you should try in the wild or at home.
Snakes suck the milk out of cow’s udders , This is simply not true. Snakes are carnivores and they don’t eat milk.
Snakes use their tails like whips , This is not true. Snakes that are called whiptails were called so because they look like.
Hognose Snakes kill with their breath , A modern belief is that a Hognose snake can kill a person who is up to twenty feet away just by breathing on them. This is because the Hognose snake has adders that puff out and make the snake appear to be blowing air at the attacker.
The number of rattles on its tail determines the age of a rattlesnake. — Rattles frequently break off, and therefore is an unreliable method to determine age.
Even a very dangerous snake will not bite a shaman or if it is your totem animal. -Many amateur shamans may be disappointed to discover that in most North American cultures, the snake has to bite you at least once before you are considered ,magical.,