Real-Life Ouroboros

[EnolaGaia]

This is as compelling a real-life ouroboros as I've even seen. It's not mystical at all, but it's mystifying in terms of the serpent's apparent stupidity ...

Kingsnake swallows 10 inches of its own tail in Pennsylvania

A Pennsylvania reptile sanctuary shared video of a snake that had to be rescued from itself when it swallowed several inches of its own tail.

The Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary shared video of Jesse Rothacker helping out the eastern kingsnake that became a real-life ouroboros by swallowing 10 inches of its own tail.

Rothacker said it's not unusual for a confused kingsnake to bite itself, but it's rare that they manage to swallow their own tails.

"They will sometimes see their own tail, they'll think it's snake, they'll take a bite out of it and they'll realize they bit themselves," the rescuer says in the footage.

"But today, well, we're going to see a kingsnake that, I don't know, might not have done very well on the SATs. ... He did not just nibble on himself. This poor kingsnake is actually in the process of swallowing his own tail," he said.

Rothacker tapped the snake's nose to make it let go and ended up pulling about 10 inches of tail out of its mouth. ...

SOURCE (With Video) https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2019/0...f-its-own-tail-in-Pennsylvania/3021565634703/

 

[GNC]

That looks very... knitted.

 

[Ermintruder]

That looks very... knitted

Snakes Alive! It most certainly does.

 

[GNC]

Maybe a good draught excluder for revolving doors?

 

[Yithian]

Have we had the conversation--because I can't recall the conclusion if we have--about whether snakes and other venomous creatures kill themselves in error?

Is, say, a snake, susceptible to its own venom?

 

[EnolaGaia]

Have we had the conversation--because I can't recall the conclusion if we have--about whether snakes and other venomous creatures kill themselves in error?

Is, say, a snake, susceptible to its own venom?

I've always heard that venomous snakes have or develop antibodies against their own (i.e., their own species') venom. A certain amount of the venom leaks into their circulatory systems, and such immune system protection is necessary for survival.

I've also been told this doesn't give any of the venomous snakes universal protection against all other venomous snakes' venoms.

On the other hand ... As mentioned in the article, even snakes less oblivious than this one are known to bite themselves. Even if they're protected against their own venom they might still die from (e.g.) infected wound(s).