snakes do eat people

[T.O-SK8TER]

k so everyone that has said sankes do not eat people you are wrong! A man i work with lived in Africa for over 30 years, him and some other peeps found an african rock python, they cut open the snake and a woman over 5 feet tall was inside the snake! so yea wats up!

[litesnsirens]

LOL ... OK. I'm not saying a snake has never eaten a human but I wouldnt let someone feed me that pile of bull-dung.

[JAdkins2451]

So yeah I guy I worked with got bit by a cobra 15 times and walked away..So yeah whats up?

[Joe]

I also know a gut that knows a guy who! lol

[SerpentLust]

When I was working at the pet store, I met a girl who knew a guy who got bit by his venomous python and he had to go to the hospital :p She said I better "devenom" my pythons before it happens to me. LOL

[T.O-SK8TER]

we had a big discussion on here a few years ago that snakes do not eat humans, jus wanted too rub it everyones face! lmao

[litesnsirens]

It's not rubbing it in anyones face when no one believes your story ... well it's not actually your story... so let's put it this way ... no one believes that your friend at work and his "peeps" cut open a rock python and retrieved a 5 foot lady... I think this would be a good one to send into the myth busters show....

[Joe]

It certainly is possible for a large boid to consume a small human, I too have heard some story's, My uncle was a medic over in Rawanda years ago and came home with some storys for me, I chalk most of it up to folk lore and what not but it certainly is possible and im sure in some case some where it has happened, I have never heard of an actual documented case of it as of yet though, but I do believe somewhere out there one of these story's we hear are actually true!

[drec91]

of course this is possible a very large snake such as a retic could swallow a human if forced to that point. There was a case of this in africa where a child gardener was killed and swallowed. Later that week they traked down 4 retics and killed them one of which had the remains of a small boy.

[jparker1167]

well if the snake was big enough and the person was small enough it could happen i dont know if i believe it was a 5 foot lady. how big was this snake ?

[litesnsirens]

As I said in my first post here, I'm not saying it couldn't happen. Big snake.. small person... stands to reason that mechanically and theoretically it's possible. Like Joe said though most of the stories are likely folklore, there are a lot of urban myths going around. It's most likely that the child gardener and the "they" that tracked and killed 4 retics and found the remains of the small boy inside one of them is another example.

[drec91]

I wasnt told that myth, i saw it on national geographic. There were a substantial amount of evidence (pictures). But although there are cases of large snakes eating small people, it is not likley in a snakes normal state of mind that it would consider a human as a prey item. The snakes normal prey was probably low in numbers in that area. I see the fact that snakes are preying on people as a glych in the ecosystem.

[gonesnakee]

... it is not likley in a snakes normal state of mind that it would consider a human as a prey item. The snakes normal prey was probably low in numbers in that area. I see the fact that snakes are preying on people as a glych in the ecosystem. Ah what??? Snakes DO NOT have a state of mind as you put it LOL Snakes are creatures of PURE INSTINCT & don't even have a "mind" as far as it goes. If they are hungry & it is of appropriate size & made of flesh it is Prey. If their normal prey is a mammal there is no diference to them if it walks & talks or has any intelligence. If it is small enough to be "taken" & they are hungry it is potential prey. We are not talking about an advance predator here such as mammals that put "thought" into hunting we are talking a creature with primal instincts & ZERO "thought". A snake doesn't "think" I'll just hide here & wait because this is a good spot or I'll cruise down by the water hole & see whats available like an advanced predator might. They are driven by instinct & instinct alone, there is no thought process. As far as them taking humans there is zero doubt in my mind that it has happened before. The occurrence of such is likley very rare though IMHO As per most snake related info it is usually blown way out of proportion & does fall to "urban myth" like stuff. To consider ourselves "above" being "prey" as we are human & are "top predators" we would just be being silly. When other predators are hungry they could care less who's supposed to be "on top" & whats on the menu as long as its flesh & satisfies their hunger they are content. Mark

[ravensgait]

I had to eat a snake once ;) Randy

[Kurzix]

Ah what??? Snakes DO NOT have a state of mind as you put it LOL Snakes are creatures of PURE INSTINCT & don't even have a "mind" as far as it goes. If they are hungry & it is of appropriate size & made of flesh it is Prey. If their normal prey is a mammal there is no diference to them if it walks & talks or has any intelligence. If it is small enough to be "taken" & they are hungry it is potential prey. We are not talking about an advance predator here such as mammals that put "thought" into hunting we are talking a creature with primal instincts & ZERO "thought". A snake doesn't "think" I'll just hide here & wait because this is a good spot or I'll cruise down by the water hole & see whats available like an advanced predator might. They are driven by instinct & instinct alone, there is no thought process. As far as them taking humans there is zero doubt in my mind that it has happened before. The occurrence of such is likley very rare though IMHO As per most snake related info it is usually blown way out of proportion & does fall to "urban myth" like stuff. To consider ourselves "above" being "prey" as we are human & are "top predators" we would just be being silly. When other predators are hungry they could care less who's supposed to be "on top" & whats on the menu as long as its flesh & satisfies their hunger they are content. Mark

Like you say snakes do run on instinct, HOWEVER, not all appropriate sized flesh things are prey. Snakes typically do not eat cats or dogs, nor do they even eat the types of rodents we somtimes want them to eat. It is beleived snakes are imprinted with certain animals that they identify as prey.

That said, I also believe if a snake is hungry enough, or threatened enough by a non prey item, it's very possible for it to attack, kill, then consume.

[gonesnakee]

Snakes do eat dogs all the time. There have been numerous recorded cases of them doing so where large Boids live. In the wild snakes are far less picky than in captivity & eat a wide variety of prey in comparision to our rodent eating pets. To even try to compare a wild Rock, Retic, Conda etc. to a domesicated one is well, no comparision. Mark

[joeysgreen]

a 5 foot woman is what, 100lbs, perhaps less in Africa where the quarter pounders arn't as rampant. A hundred pound meal isn't unheard of, so why would a 100lb homo meal be?

Ian

[drec91]

" ah what" ok if we are talking about an animal that has ZERO thought process and that eats humans whenever it is hungry, why arent there thousands of documented cases in which small humans have been eaten by snakes. Im guessing that many people on this site have large snakes, why dont those snakes try and eat them every time they touch them, if snakes have no thought process. u cant say that a snake has zero thought process and lives purely on instinct. Most snakes do not consider humans and many other animals as prey. They dont just strike and eat everything that moves, that is completely obsurd.

[joeysgreen]

They dont just strike and eat everything that moves, that is completely obsurd"
I don't believe I said that. I agree something that large isn't considered ideal prey by the snake, but in the wild, they arn't fed on a schedule. If it's been a long time since said snake has eaten more prefered prey, then it might consider other things.

Ian

[gonesnakee]

You still don't get it drec81 LOL snakes ARE creatures of pure instinct, its scientific fact. In captivity they are raised solely on 1 type of prey that they are fed week in week out on a schedule. They NEVER have to seek that prey out it is ALWAYS provided right there on "their doorstep" they tend not to associate other things as prey as a direct result, but they still do anyway. Have you yourself ever kept any snakes derec91? Well almost all my friends are snake breeders & I have kept literally 1,000's & yes I do have snakes of various species that try to eat me on occassion, some almost daily. Even in captivity there are numerous species that will consider me or any other keeper as prey based on their INSTINCTS. I have had numerous Kings & Milksnakes for example anywhere from 10 inches to 5 ft try to eat me 1000's of times. I have seen them try to eat each other & try to eat themselves even on multiple occassions. I have 2 subadult female CKs upstairs that try to eat me daily. I have kept & still keep a few Carpet Pythons that consider me prey on many occassions. Ever had a six foot Carpet Python constrict your arm & try to eat your hand? How about a 4 ft Woma Python or an 8 ft Eastern Indigo? Even in captivity there are snakes that have been fed solely mice & rats that still consider humans as prey on occassion. Nothing funnier than a 10 inch snake trying to eat your hand or arm. Not so funny when its an 8 footer. They don't even remotely consider that I'm human or too big to eat. I'm warm, I'm flesh, their hungry, I'm considered possible prey. There is no thought process just INSTINCT. It is a well proven scientific fact that snakes are creatures of pure instinct, but hey what does science know right? You fail to understand that in captivity snakes are extremely well fed, heck quite often overfed. A snake that is given all the dead prey it can take weekly is not likely to try & eat you, but some still do anyhow. In the wild snakes do not eat for months on end & eat a HUGE variety of prey compared to anything that has been raised in captivity. They are far less picky & far more opportunistic than their captive bred relatives. LOL Mark
P.S. ever been to someplace like Africa or any other 3rd world locale? I used to work overseas & can tell you locals in Africa think a lot more along my lines than they do yours. They consider every single snake they ever see as a threat & usually kill them all. Doesn't matter if its venomous, colubrid or large boid they kill them all. Remote villagers that don't even have water aren't too concerned about documenting how folks get killed & posting that info on the internet for the world to share LOL. No ones saying that there are 1,000s of cases but I bet there are far more cases than any of us is ever going to hear about. To think that snakes are not creatures of pure instinct is ABSURB as you tried to put it.

[Kurzix]

Got pictures of a 10 inch snake trying to eat you? I'd like to see that. You must be pretty damn small. Are you playing with their food with your hands? Thats a sure way to trick a snake into thinking you are prey.

check this site out...

Snakes Can Learn Too (http://www.naturescornermagazine.com/snakes_learn.html)

or if you are too lazy...

Snakes Can Learn Too

Which animal has more brain cells… reptiles or humans? Well, the truth is that reptiles like snakes can produce a limitless number of brain cells throughout their life. Humans, however, can only produce new cells in the part of the brain called the hippocampus, which relates only to memory and spatial perception.

So, snakes have many more brain cells, but what does this mean for intelligence? Previous studies have tested snakes against mice and rats using mazes to test their learning abilities. Snakes never seemed to do as well. However, Dr. David Holtzman, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester, says this kind of testing is unfair to snakes because they do not come across this type of situation (mazes) in their environment. Instead, he says that snakes can learn with the help of people who understand them.

Dr. Holtzman’s research focused on teaching snakes to find hidden shelters where they could escape from open spaces. He accomplished this by placing 24 corn snakes in large tubes with several holes, only one of which led to a shelter. Since these snakes are nocturnal, he put a light at one end of the tube to motivate the snakes to move. To help guide the snakes, he also marked the hole that led to the shelter with bright colors and tape. The snakes were taught the location of the correct holes by people who guided them with their hands.

After four trials a day for four days, the snakes learned to go directly to the hole with the shelter. He found that on average, it took the snakes a little less than 12 minutes to find the hidden shelter on the first try. On the second try, most found the shelter after about 7 minutes, and some even found it after 30 seconds. He also found that older snakes were slower to learn than younger snakes. When the colors were changed, younger snakes learned faster than older snakes, showing that the younger snakes were more adaptable to visual cues.

Dr. Holtzman says this research probably doesn’t mean we can domesticate snakes, but it does show that snakes are smarter than we think. They are not just wandering aimlessly. Perhaps now snakes can be trained, using the right motivation and method.


hmm so much for pure instinct hu?

[gonesnakee]

Interesting but it doesn't prove much at all really. Unless the "tubing unit" was completely sterlized between all specimens all they are doing is following scent trails by natural instinct. The younger snakes of course travelling faster as they as youngsters are almost always seeking prey to support their growth into adulthood. Despite what anyone may speculate snakes are not "trainable" LMAO but believe what you want. There are all kinds of theroys out on the ole internet. This little statement here made by yourself shows just how little you really know about snakes & their instincts when it comes to prey "Got pictures of a 10 inch snake trying to eat you? I'd like to see that. You must be pretty damn small. Are you playing with their food with your hands? Thats a sure way to trick a snake into thinking you are prey." Ah for starters to even consider handling prey before working with any snake is just plain stupid & looking to get bit. I have snakes that if there is even food on the floor below them in the house thawing (a story away) they will be going crazy trying to get out of their enclosures (snakes such as Eastern Indigos, Diamond & other Aussie Pythons). To question me about baby CKs trying to eat me shows that you really don't know squat at all about them. Provide an email addy & I can flood it with pics of snakes trying to eat me, objects, themselves etc. & in not 1 instance was there any prey handled prior or during LOL Check out other forums & look into kingsnakes you will find everyone that knows anything about them will back up what I say. If serious about the pics & you care for a bunch its gonesnakee@shaw.ca email me & I'll send off a bunch for ya to check out. Cheers Mark

[gocmando19328]

that sounds familiar i think i saw a pic of something like that happening before...

[Voodoo]

I have to agree with the fact that a large enough python could def eat a small human. I was doing a pyschology project on the inate fear of snakes and stumbled upon a abnormally large rock python which in later research had been cut open by locals and believe it or not there was a young child probley no more then 10 years of age inside it. So I have no problems beliveing that this could happen, however I don't thinks its a very common occurence etheir. If anyone is intrested I will try to find the pictures and post them up.

[drec91]

"ah what" thats ridiculous to say that snakes live on pure instinct. they dont just go around striking at everything they see. like every animal they do have instincts. my snakes have never considered me as prey unless i had the smell of a mouse on me. i kno that snakes in the wild are more desperate than captive snakes. but if snakes live on pure instinct and considerd humans as prey there would be many more documented cases of snakes killing and eating small humans. humans are not a normal food source for any animal hense the top of the food chain thing.

[gonesnakee]

Believe what you want about instincts etc. to each their own, but no one said snakes go out striking at everything they see LOL In captivity where they have no threat to them ever they can & sometimes will associate all interaction as possible prey. Most snakes will realize right away that you are not prey, but some such as kingsnakes have such strong feeding responses that they don't & will go for it. As far as in the wild goes the only reason Man is "top of the food chain" is technology. Take it away & we are still prey to any large carnivore that wants to take us if given the opportunity. We are not "normal" prey for carnivores of any sort but that doesn't mean we can't be for an opportunistic predator be it a large snake or any other creature. If you think everything that ever happens in a third world country is "documented" you have a lot to learn about the ways of the world. I'm not saying its an everyday occurrance, but it does happen on occassion whether we hear about it or not. Not everythings on the ole internet or "todays top story". Also our records only go back so far & the farther you go back past the "records" the more often humans were prey. Even now with less & less habitat & it being encrouched by Man large predators are more apt than ever to be preying on Man & our domestic pets & livestock. I don't think we are "above" being prey myself. Mark

[gonesnakee]

Just to humour you I flipped thru my pics & found 3 o interest. They are not mine nor do I know their orginal source, Mark

http://members.shaw.ca/gonesnakee/1.jpg

http://members.shaw.ca/gonesnakee/2.jpg

http://members.shaw.ca/gonesnakee/3.jpg

[Rhino Rodents]

hey people hows it going i was watching this show on t.v and it showed a retic trying to eat a oriental man in the asia and this guy was walking along a path and the retic was in a tree and stocked the man the snake was later found trying to eat the man by a guy that was walking by and found it the snake was at the mans shoulders and could go no further the man that found him shot the snake then cut it open hoping to save the man so i thought i would post my little bit of info

[Boots]

Well I guess the pictures settle it. Snakes can eat people. Guess I can live with winter 6 months out of the year if I do not have to fight off snakes trying to eat me on my way to work. :)

Jason

[geislandi]

Interesting but it doesn't prove much at all really. Unless the "tubing unit" was completely sterlized between all specimens all they are doing is following scent trails by natural instinct. The younger snakes of course travelling faster as they as youngsters are almost always seeking prey to support their growth into adulthood. Despite what anyone may speculate snakes are not "trainable" LMAO but believe what you want.

I work in a university psychology laboratory, and the idea that researchers would forget something as basic as erasing scent trails is very hard to believe.

Furthermore, I don't think it's that unlikely that snakes could be trained WITHIN their very limited cognitive abilities. True enough, they are limited. But the trick to animal training is using an animal's very instinctual capabilities to perform a given behavior when supplied with a given stimulus.

I think all of you are making too fine a distinction between instinct and trainability. Without instinct, very few animals would even be trainable.

I'm a falconer, and hawks are also basically "creatures of instinct." However, within the areas that are essential for their survival, the areas in which instinct is strongest, they are more than capable of being trained. Hawks, as simple and instinctive as they are, learn how to find food/shelter/water in a new, man-manipulated environment very readily. Snakes can do the same, not surprisingly.

[gonesnakee]

I work in a university psychology laboratory, and the idea that researchers would forget something as basic as erasing scent trails is very hard to believe.

Furthermore, I don't think it's that unlikely that snakes could be trained WITHIN their very limited cognitive abilities. True enough, they are limited. But the trick to animal training is using an animal's very instinctual capabilities to perform a given behavior when supplied with a given stimulus.

I think all of you are making too fine a distinction between instinct and trainability. Without instinct, very few animals would even be trainable.

I'm a falconer, and hawks are also basically "creatures of instinct." However, within the areas that are essential for their survival, the areas in which instinct is strongest, they are more than capable of being trained. Hawks, as simple and instinctive as they are, learn how to find food/shelter/water in a new, man-manipulated environment very readily. Snakes can do the same, not surprisingly. Very good post & you are right in that we manipulate creatures "instincts" to "train" them as you stated WITHIN their very limited cognitive abilities. I guess that most folks myself included don't consider them trainable based on their extremely limited "thought" or lack of, but even a creature of pure instinct can be expected to follow those instincts when manipulated in a preset fashion to get the "expected" results. Thus being somewhat "trainable" using the term loosely. Most folks including myself consider "training" more in relation to our mammalian counterparts & their "thoughts" not a manipulation of instincts. Cheers Mark

[drec91]

those pictures are most likley a very rare incident, once u find me about 150 of those i will consider your point how many retic pythons have been killed by humans. part of the reason they may consider humans prey is because of the fact that a human is a big threat. and yes i have kept many many many many snakes. i aslo have a phd in biology

[gonesnakee]

Not a lot of folks in 3rd world countries snapping pics with their digicams & posting them on their computers ;) Mark

[drec91]

good point but once i see alot more photographs of that kind i will be better persuaded. i understand that there are cases in which snakes have eatin people, i just dont think that a human is a normal meal for a snake. i dont believe this can be proven or not, so for now it is just an opinion

[tl2iumph]

Right on gonesnakee,
just check out the ad on the 18 ft burm eating an alligator.LOL Prey is prey, hunger is hunger, and wild is wild....lmfao

[allison27ca]

Why can't you feed a snake a cooked chicken?...just out of curiosity

[jejton]

Ah what??? Snakes DO NOT have a state of mind as you put it LOL Snakes are creatures of PURE INSTINCT & don't even have a "mind" as far as it goes. If they are hungry & it is of appropriate size & made of flesh it is Prey. If their normal prey is a mammal there is no diference to them if it walks & talks or has any intelligence. If it is small enough to be "taken" & they are hungry it is potential prey.

Without weighing in on the debate in general I want to point out that this particular premise is false. If it was true, then we would never, or rarely, have problems getting WC snakes to eat our standard rats and mice. In truth, snakes are usually pretty particular towards a type of prey. Under certain circumstances, like many other predators, they may become opportunistic especially if their normal prey is scarce or they are too sick, old or injured to capture the normal prey.

[drec91]

my point exactly well said jejton

[jayandlori05]

So yeah i guess i should let you all know that i am half boa , yup thats right , my left arm is a Columbian boa ......lol

[treeboa34]

in the uk there was a picture of a retic that had swallowed a small man in a sunday supplement and everyone was like ban snakes etc however it turned out that the same picture was used fifty years earlier in the second world war and it had japanese soldiers in the background instead and it was an antelope or deer type creature that it had swallowed so you cant believe every thing you see in the media!