Beware! Texas man finds out snakes can bite--even if their heads are cut off

Jeremy Sutcliffe and his wife planned an enjoyable afternoon cookout last month at their home near Lake Corpus Christi way down in south Texas.

Didn't turn out that way.

As they were preparing for the vent, Sutcliffe heard his wife screaming. He went over to find a four-foot diamondback rattlesnake in the flower bed his wife had been weeding.

At this point most of us would have run as far and as fast as legs could carry us. But Sutcliffe took a shovel and killed the snake-cutting its head off. And that should have been that.

Think again.

Sutcliffe came back about 20 minutes later to get rid of the thing. He picked the head-and was bitten. Badly bitten.

His wife frantically took him to the hospital for antivenin treatment. It was a long drive, about an hour. Sutcliffe started having seizures.

At the hospital his condition worsened. It was touch and go. He was put into an induced coma. It took 26 doses of antivenin to save him. Normally it only takes anywhere from two to four.

What Sutcliffe didn't know was that a venomous snake can still strike for about an hour after being decapitated. It has to do with being a cold-blooded reptile instead of a warm-blooded mammal.

We suspect few readers had any idea either.

We have venomous snakes here in the Twin Cities. Copperheads are probably the most common, but there are rattlers, water moccasins and even coral snakes, though they are rarely seen.

If you have to kill a venomous snake, be wary even after it appears to be dead. Don't touch it or try to move it by hand. It's best to leave it be until quite some time has passed. And even then use a shovel to dispose of it.

Upcoming Events