Snakes that were gods

Jan 30, 2008 19:06 GMT  ·  By

1. Some Indian tribes avoid killing it while others adore it as a divinity. In the Precolumbian America, victims, especially children, were sacrificed to the Snake God. Hopi Indians from Arizona, during the Snakes' Dance, dance holding in their hands rattlesnakes, controlled using their mouths. The dance is the peak of a 9 days rite, whose aim is to get rich crops and plenty of rain.

For 4 days, the Hopi Indians capture all the rattlesnakes in the area. Meanwhile, they make ritual sticks, choose richly adorned costumes and ignite fires for gaining the good will of the gods. During the Snakes' Dance, the dancers imitate the snake's movements and pass the reptiles from one to another. At the end of the dance, each one runs away with his snake, which will be released somewhere far away from the village, in one of the directions of the cardinal points. In this moment, the snakes are considered to be turned into messengers to the Storm God for the wishes of the people. How can Hopi perform this dance? Simple: they remove the venomous fangs of the snakes before the ceremony...

2. Like in the case of vipers, the venomous fangs of the rattlesnake are closed, forming a syringe needle. While resting, the fangs stay sheathed on a horizontal position on the mouth's roof. When attacking, the fangs are pushed forward, like the blade of a penknife. The venom is injected through the fangs' canals into the wound. The fangs are thin and replaced at each 3 weeks. You can always see the replacing pair behind the functional one.

3. The rattlesnake's venom has especially a hemolytic effect, causing the clotting of the blood, necrosis and tissue destruction. The South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) also has a neurotoxic venom (like that of the cobra) causing paralysis. Without a serum, the rattlesnake bite causes death in 8-24 hours. Rarely, the victim dies immediately or 2-3 weeks following the bite.

4. During the day, the rattlesnake stays curled in a hide. When menaced, it shakes its rattle located on the tip of the tail, made by molten skin layers kept together by a small hook. The emitted sound resembles that produced by a jet of vapors under pressure. But the snake itself cannot hear this sound! Instead, the rattlesnake perceives ground vibrations.

5. Rattlesnake is preyed by snake-eating snakes (like king snake, which is not venomous!), and some prey birds, like golden eagles.

6. Scientists believe the rattlesnake developed its sonic warning because, during the Tertiary Period, huge herds of large beasts inhabited the North American prairies. Even today, the signal helps the snake not to be stepped over by horses or deer.

7. There is one rattlesnake lacking ... the rattle. Santa Catalina rattlesnake (Crotalus catalinensis) is endemic to Isla Santa Catalina in the Gulf of California, Mexico. This rattlesnake sheds totally its skin.

8. Like all pitvipers, the rattlesnakes present two fossettes (small holes) between the eyes and nostrils, which form a thermal sensory organ. The organ detects heat variations, and the snake can this way detect warm-blooded mammals and birds, located at 0.5 m (1.6 ft) in the dark.

Like all snakes, the rattlesnake picks up scent molecules which are delivered to the Jacobson organ in the roof of the mouth. This way, the snake can track its poisoned victim.

9. A rattlesnake consumes 3-4 times its own weight in one year. These snakes eat voles, mice and rats and larger species - they can attack prairie dogs and rabbits. The small amount of necessary food is explained by the fact that the rattlesnake are cold blooded animals. The winter is spent in lethargy and now they are completely inoffensive, so the rabbits or prairie dogs can share their dens with them!

10. All rattlesnakes are viviparous (give birth to live offspring). The sidewinder rattlesnake gives birth to up to 60 offspring. During the mating season, usually in the spring, males fight for the right to mate. The rivals raise up to 1 m (3.3 ft) over the ground, effectuating some undulatory movements, until one of the rival cedes. This is not really a fight, but rather a showoff. Births usually take place in August to October.

Southern rattlesnake breed annually, but northern types, once in two years, and they give birth in June-July.

11. 29 species of rattlesnakes are known, differentiated through their colors and bony plates of the head.

In eastern US and Mexico, the pygmy rattlesnake and water rattlesnake (massasauga) of the genus Sistrurus are to be found.

The sidewinder rattlesnake presents two "horns" over its eyes. It inhabits deserts, and when moving, it executes convolutions of a "S" shape, hence the name of sidewinder. Its venom is weak and it feeds on small iguanid lizards.

The largest rattlesnake is the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) of southeastern US: up to 2.5 m (8.3 ft) long. It delivers huge amounts of venom, and just one gram of its venom can kill a rhinoceros.

12. Still, processed rattlesnake venom is effective against epilepsy and hemorrhage (due to its anticoagulant chemicals, used especially in veterinary medicine).

Photo Gallery (3 Images)

Red diamondback rattlesnake
SidewinderThis one was a Northern Pacific rattlesnake
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