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Head or Tail?
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by eholt on April 11, 2002
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I am facinated with snakes but respect them enough not to handle them. I am curious though about the differences in handling them by their heads verses tails.
Steve Irwin seems to be unique in that he is one of the few handlers that I have seen that will only grab a snake by its tail.
I am sure he does this to reduce the chance of injuring the snake. Can snakes when being held by their tail bring their head all the way back to their tail to bite regardless if they are being held on the ground or up in the air? How does he avoid these bites?
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RE: Head or Tail?
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by Naja_oxiana on April 11, 2002
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Some snakes can come all the way over their bodies and bite something at their tail. Cobras cannot really do this and that is why Mr Irwin handles them they way that he does.
It might help to understand the mechanics of how snakes bite. Elapids are designd to strike down and forward, which is why they tend to rear up a little before a strike--they don't always though.
Vipers ar designed for more of a jab which is a lot more likely to come up over its own body. This is why Mr Irwin often times uses a stick to block the snake around midbody.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Roger
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RE: Head or Tail?
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by BlackSnake7 on April 17, 2002
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Though I am a Steve Irwin fan, i have yetr to see how he has not been bitten yet. my personal motto is to grab the snake as close to the business end as possible, as tailed snakes, particularly elapids, have a habit of coming back up over their opwn bodies to gnaw on your hand.
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RE: Head or Tail?
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by BlackSnake7 on April 17, 2002
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I just realized i contradicted what the other person said, and it is true. however, some vipers, like copperheads, tend to not be strong climbers and dont come up over their bodies. mambas, on the other hand...
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RE: Head or Tail?
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by eholt on April 18, 2002
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I was watching Steve the other night and he did use a stick around the mid body when handling baby rattlesnakes just like Naja_oxiana said.
I would never attempt to handle a snake by the tail because I realize that Steve has been around snakes his whole life and their nuances and patterns are like second nature to him.
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