can a rattlesnake "bite you" after it is dead?

Question

someone told me this could happen. i said no way. might be a reflex at best. what is real answer. i know it is dead.

Answer 1

Being a cold blooded animal, a rattlesnake's nerves take a while to stop doing their thing. Yes, you can get bit by a dead rattlesnake, alligator, snapping turtle, whatever. And of course it's much much more embarrassing to be bitten by a dead one than a live one.
Just to give a bit of an idea, there is a reason that alligators are refrigerated for 24 hours before being butchered, and I believe most of the people I know who do this type of thing prefer 2 days in the fridge for turtles.
And, no, I haven't seen anyone who was bitten by a dead rattler, but I have watched people get bit by dead gators.


Edited to add
Venom isn't a living part of the snake, it's simply modified saliva. Ever catch a lizard and it's tail breaks off and twitches in your hand? Trust me here, folks... or just do a search...
http://www.personalmd.com/news/a1999061612.shtml
http://wwhttp://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/06501.html
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/06501.html

And it continues on like this.

Answer 2

Being a cold blooded animal, a rattlesnake's nerves take a while to stop doing their thing. Yes, you can get bit by a dead rattlesnake, alligator, snapping turtle, whatever. And of course it's much much more embarrassing to be bitten by a dead one than a live one.
Just to give a bit of an idea, there is a reason that alligators are refrigerated for 24 hours before being butchered, and I believe most of the people I know who do this type of thing prefer 2 days in the fridge for turtles.
And, no, I haven't seen anyone who was bitten by a dead rattler, but I have watched people get bit by dead gators.

Answer 3

Only a tiny amount of venom is lethal, and the enzymes in it remain active long after the snake is dead. so, I say, if you want to eat rattlesnake, don't even touch the head, especially the fangs: cut it off and burn it or leave it be. even if you get some venom on your face, it could be lethal if you shave, cut yourself, and some gets into your bloodstream.
and yes, reflexes do happen, even after an animal is dead. frog legs will twitch with electrical stimulation. even if an animal's heart stops beating, it might not be brain dead for a while, etc.

Answer 4

I heard that mechanics in Texas would not change the tires of cars who had run over rattlesnakes. They were afraid the fangs would be stuck in the tire.
Their venom is probably still toxic. But you would have to be pretty clumsy to get enough in you to hurt.
Rattlesnakes kill very few people compared to something like rush hour traffic.

Answer 5

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RE:
can a rattlesnake "bite you" after it is dead?
someone told me this could happen. i said no way. might be a reflex at best. what is real answer. i know it is dead.

Answer 6

I doubt the snake will move to much after death, but initially it could because of reflexes, the venom in its fangs however will still be deadly because it is stored in its fangs like a needle on a syringe. If your running around putting your hand in dead snakes mouths poisonous or not your asking for trouble hehe

Answer 7

You would have to have a finger in its mouth or be very close to its fangs in some way.
The toxin is still potent and remains so. Drips of it into an open wound would certainly have a toxic effect.
But the reflexes and movement would be random,so you would be very unlikely to actually be bitten by a strike after its death.
So you would have more chance of winning a lottery even if you didn't by a ticket.
So the real answer, its possible to be effected by the toxin. But extremly unlikely to be actually bitten after its death. Even if it is having nerve spasms.

Answer 8

Yes it can happen. A reflex at best from a rattlesnake could kill you on your worst day. I have been stung by dead bees.

Answer 9

Yes it can happen and yes it is a reflex. A decapitated snake head can still bite. If you touch it, it will snap closed. Reptile metabolism is very very slow, so the reflexes stay intact for a long time after death.

Answer 10

My sister in law had one in her house and called someone to come kill it. They did kill it, chopped it's head off, but didn't take it with them. They told her to not get near it. They said that even though it's head was cut off, it could bite you and inject poison for at least an hour after it's head was cut off.

I had never heard this before. I know she wasn't lying. But, after I heard this, i asked many people and heard the same story. That fact is really scary.