Myths and Folklore
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What Is a Reptile? |
Myths and Folklore | Benefits of Reptiles
| Threats to Reptiles | Glossary |
Scutellation | References
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| Contributions
welcome--email anyone at the McMartinVille.com domain. NOTE:
Religious references are not included on this page.
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| If a [insert name
of reptile here; usually a turtle of some sort] bites you, it
won't let go until it thunders. I don't know how
this myth got started, but I've heard it several times.
Perhaps it alludes to some reptiles' tenacity when they
bite. Some reptiles let go immediately to effect a timely
escape; others seem to hold on until you pry them off!
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| Mountain Boomers.
This local name for collared
lizards stems from the pioneer days when travelers across the
Great Plains would hear a noise and look around, only to see a
lizard perched atop a nearby rock outcrop. Collared lizards
make no such sound (although they can hiss). Some people
falsely believe they are poisonous and can sting with their tails
(neither of which is true).
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| Snakes are
poisonous. Some snakes are poisonous. Nope!
This is more a misuse of terminology than a myth.
No snake is poisonous. Some snakes are VENOMOUS.
The term "poisonous" refers to something which, if
ingested, can have ill effects (like some kinds of mushroom, or fugu).
The term "venomous" means the toxic material must enter
your body against your will (e.g. a snakebite or a bee
sting). People can, and do, eat snakes--even venomous ones,
without harm. It is even possible to eat the venom, as long
as you have no open sores in your mouth (but I wouldn't try it,
just to be on the safe side!).
Of the approximately 128 species of snakes
found in North America, only 21 species are venomous, and very
few people die of snakebite in the US. For the most
part, if you can get to a hospital within a few hours of the bite,
your chances of survival are greater than 99%.
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| Hoopsnakes.
Some people claim that certain kinds of snakes will take their
tail into their mouth, forming a hoop with their bodies, in order
to roll down hills (and after people). Not true.
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| Snakes with a
"poison stinger" in their tail. Some
snakes' tails terminate in a sharp tip, and some
of these snakes may even attempt to thrust this spike into a
would-be captor's hand, but there is no associated venom.
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| Rattlesnake eggs.
Popular at roadside gift shops are small envelopes
marked "rattlesnake eggs." They contain a device
which causes a rattling sound when the envelope is opened,
frightening the prankster's victim. The only problem is that
rattlesnakes give birth to live baby rattlesnakes--they don't lay
eggs!
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| Milksnakes can
milk cows. Milksnakes are often found near barns,
but not because they're after milk. They are attracted to
the rodents which barns invariably house. Having milksnakes
and other constrictors around is beneficial in keeping the mouse
and rat populations in check.
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| Old Rip.
The story of a horned lizard who survived 31 years sealed up in
the cornerstone of a Texas courthouse. Click
here for more information.
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| Snakes hypnotize
their prey. This myth may originate from the fact
that snakes have no eyelids in the traditional sense; therefore
they're always "staring." A prey animal may not be
observed to move away from a snake, thereby suggesting some sort
of power the snake has over the animal, but in reality it may just
be that the animal hasn't seen the snake (a hunting snake moves
slowly and deliberately, and its coloration helps it to blend in
with its surroundings).
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| Snake doctors.
Dragonflies are sometimes called "snake doctors" due to
the belief they can heal injured snakes.
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| An injured snake
will not die until sundown. This belief may stem
from the fact that a "clinically dead" snake will often
still exhibit movement for many hours after it's killed (a
decapitated snake's head will still extend its tongue and even
open its mouth; I've personally witnessed this). The person
killing the snake gives up on watching the snake and goes to bed;
upon return the next morning the snake is no longer moving.
Therefore, in the person's estimation, the snake
"officially" died at sundown.
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| Hanging a
rattlesnake with its belly to the sun will cause it to rain.
I'm not sure how this one got started, other than someone happened
to hang a dead snake in this fashion, and it rained later that
day. Consequence does not necessarily mean causality!
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| Horsehairs thrown
into rainwater will turn into snakes. Again, I'm not
sure how this myth started.
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| If you kill a copperhead,
its mate will attempt to avenge its death. Snakes
generally don't associate with other snakes except in communal
hibernation areas, and they don't have the mental capacity to
avenge deaths.
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| Coachwhips
use their long tails to whip people. No.
Coachwhips are likely so named because they physically resemble a
braided leather whip (long, skinny, and the coloration gives the
snake a "braided" look). After the common name was
established, later generations probably started attributing the
snake with the qualities of its namesake.
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| Joint snakes
break into pieces and reassemble themselves after the danger has
passed. First of all, there's no such thing as a
"joint snake." This is an erroneous name for
legless lizards, which resemble snakes but can be distinguished by
the presence of eyelids and ear openings, both of which snakes
lack. Legless lizards are also called "glass
lizards" because their tail is easily detachable (hinting at
the fragile nature of glass) as a defense mechanism. The
tail cannot reattach; however, the lizard can regenerate a new
tail, which will not be as long or pretty as the original.
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| Rattlesnakes live
peacefully with prairie dogs in prairie dog towns.
While it's true that rattlesnakes will often seek shelter in the
burrows, the prairie dogs are a food source.
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| Horsehair ropes
repel snakes. Cowboys used to think if they slept
with surrounded by such a rope, it would keep rattlesnakes away.
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| Snakes travel in
pairs. This rumor probably started by observations
of courtship and mating behavior in snakes. Males will often
follow females around during mating season.
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| Snakes' tongues
can sting. False. Their tongues, like ours,
are sensory organs. Snakes flick their tongues to sample the
air for odors such as the scent of prey.
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| Snakes will
swallow their young to protect them. No snake does
this, as it would kill the babies. It is likely this myth
arose from observing kingsnakes
or other snakes eating smaller snakes (for sustenance, not for the
smaller snake's protection).
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| Snakes are slimy.
I highly encourage people to touch one for themselves and find
out. Or, if you're afraid of snakes, touch a snakeskin
boot--it feels the same. Snakes are not slimy.
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| [Rattlesnakes,
copperheads, etc] mate with nonvenomous snakes and produce
dangerous offspring. This is a scientific
impossibility. It may stem from snakes which resemble
venomous snakes (and act mean), such as water
snakes and rat snakes.
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| Salmonella
hazards. This is actually a fact, but one blown well out
of proportion (to "mythical" proportion, if you
will). In the 1970s, young red-ear sliders were popular
pets. Many parents bought them for their children, and let
them do things like take baths with them in the water, put the
turtles in their mouths, etc. As a result, the children
developed salmonella poisoning. Laws were enacted
prohibiting the sale of turtles under 4 inches in length (except
for scientific and educational purposes, and the turtles can still
easily be purchased today via this loophole). This caused an
initial decrease in reptile-associated salmonella poisoning, but
the number of cases today is increasing (due to increasing
popularity of other reptiles as pets). The antidote is to
assume every reptile is a carrier of salmonella, and practice
proper hygiene. Treat a reptile like you'd treat raw
chicken--don't let it touch a food preparation/eating surface, and
wash your hands when you're through handling it.
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