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“Myths and Legends”
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by ALA_snake33 on January 16, 2007
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The other day, I was setting and thinking about some of the more Strange Snake Stories I have been told. Well, one really came to mind and I thought I would share it.
My Step Grandfather (I guess you could say), once told me that he was out working in an old Clear-Cut Field and saw a Big Kingsnake Fighting a Rattlesnake. Now I know there’s nothing Strange about that but, he told me that every time the Rattler would Bite the King, the King would crawl over to a Milk Weed Plant and Suck on the Buds to Kill the Toxins.
I tried my best to come up with a Logical Explanation for this, but nothing would come to mind. Now I know that Kingsnake’s do not do this to Counteract Venom, because they have a Natural Tolerance to the Toxins. Can any of ya’ll come up with a reason he would think the Snake was Drinking the Milk Weed Sap to Kill the Toxins?
By the way, if any of ya’ll know of any good old Snake Stories, please Share them.
Be Safe ya’ll, Happy Herping : Wally
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RE: “Myths and Legends”
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by earthguy on January 16, 2007
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Well this isn't a snake story, but it is herp related. Last week one of my former workers (I fired him for being lazy and a habitual liar-but he somehow managed to find a job in another department) told me a story (lie)about an experience that he had fishing. He said that while he was out fishing he caught a 'Hellbender'. He would like to show it to me, but he had to kill it. I asked him why he had to kill it, he said because it bit him. Of course as everybody in the world knows hellbenders are highly venomous;-). So this 4.5' salamander tore a huge chunck out of this guy's leg, and he spent several days in the hospital because the doctors couldn't figure out the right kind of antivenom to give him.
Why are people such liars? Why would he tell a lie like that, especially to someone who could tell that he was lying. So how about you guys make sure that I caught all of his fallacies:
1. Range - C. alleganiensis do live in South Carolina, but not in the sand hills. We don't have any clear high oxygen streams, only slow, muddy, low DO swamps.
2. 4.5'? The largest record that I could find for a hellbender is 2.5'. Other Cryptobranchii get to be larger (the Chinese Giant Salamander, for example), but not ours.
3. While most salamanders have some sort of skin secretion, I am unaware of a salamander with a venomous bite, unless BGF has found one:-)
4. Salamander antivenom? see above comment.
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RE: “Myths and Legends”
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by Venomjunkie on January 16, 2007
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this thread reminds me of a story i was told a week or so ago by one of my dads friends friends lol. this lady, knowing im a snake guy, tried to convince me that her daughter had an "endangered python from Madagascar that couldnt be imported anymore". she also mentioned the words "red tailed" in the story somewhere. i could barely stop myself from laughing. is there even a species of python thats native to Madagascar? i could be wrong but i certainly cant think of one. and even if there is i can guarantee you it isnt very common in the pet trade. im guessing this ladys daughter had a run of the mill ball python. its funny the stories people try to make up though isnt it?
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RE: “Myths and Legends”
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by ichabod on January 16, 2007
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Yeah, there are no Pythons on Madigascar. They do have some beautiful boas though Dumeril being my favorite there. Might have been talking about a common BCI.
My best friend told me that no snakes give dry bites. I told him he was wrong, and he absolutly argued with me for like 20 min I hung up on him because he pissed me off.
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RE: “Myths and Legends”
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by Cro on January 16, 2007
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Dylan, there are a couple of snakes that your frind might have. Because of habitat loss, some animals from Madigascar that used to be available in the pet trade are now considered endangered.
They include the Madagascar ground boa (Acrantophis madagascariensis), which is a very nicely patterned snake with triangular markings. It has always been kind of a rare snake in the US, and a few zoos breed them, but it was available in the pet trade in years past.
There is also the Madagascar tree boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis) which is endangered. Some zoos keep them, but I do not think they have been available in the pet trade.
Best Regards JohnZ
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by BWSmith on January 16, 2007
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Wally, that story of the Kingsnake is right out of Foxfire. If memory serves, an old man came up on a Kingsnake and a Rattlesnake fighting. Every time the Rattler bit the king, the king would go eat some "Rattlesnake Weed". After a while the man picked the weed. The king got bit again, bu the weed was gone and it died.
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by BWSmith on January 16, 2007
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John, both the Madagascar Groung Boa and Tree Boa are readily available in the pet trade in the United States. While not common or cheap, there are generally at least a couple available at any given time.
BW
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by Venomjunkie on January 16, 2007
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John, this lady was just completely ignorant to snakes lol. her daughter most likely got the snake from a pet store and they misinformed her about it. id bet a lot that it was either a ball or a BCI. theres no way she could possibly have either one of those rare Madagascan species.
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RE: “Myths and Legends”
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by ALA_snake33 on January 16, 2007
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People do tell some Tall Tails, as a mater of fact I have been told of 10ft Cottonmouths, 14ft Eastern Diamondbacks, and 8ft Copperheads. It is funny what people will tell to get attention from other people.
As we all know, EDB’s are not found here in far North AL. Now with me, a 9ft Cottonmouth would be the stuff Dreams are made of and an 8ft Copperhead, shoot I would be in Agkistrodon Heaven “LOL”.
It is very fascinating, how many Folk Stories have actually become fact in the minds of most people I encounter. Hope we can do more to stop these Strange Myths, don’t you?
Be Safe Ya’ll, Happy Herping : Wally
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RE: “Myths and Legends”
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by Cro on January 16, 2007
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BW, thanks for the update on the Madagascar Tree Boas and Ground Boas. I did not know that they were now readily available in the pet market. I guess there are folks who are captive breeding them here in the states.
I have read that in their native country they are supposed to have become rare enough from habitat loss to gain Cites protection. I`ve not been keeping up with what is available in the non-venomous pet market very well. Next reptile show, I will need to spend more time wandering through the non-venomous section, LOL !
Hey, Dylan and ichabod, how about doing us a favor. You both used the term "BCI." Remember though that there are a lot of young folks who visit the site and have no idea what that means. We all use terms like "EDB" quite frequently here, but we should all make an effort to cut down on the abbreviations, or to defign them when first using them in a thread. This will help educate a lot of new visitors to the site, and help make the whole site more user friendly.
Best Regards JohnZ
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