22/10/2019
It is common myth that snakes chase people, well they do have certain defensive movements they use against predators, Snakes do not chase people. They may advance towards people in order to get their last known safe spot.
Here is good educational video on what some might say is being chased, however Ross is very professional at what he does and he knows the snake if just looking for safety.
If a snake is displaying defensive behaviour, such as raising its head or flattening out etc you are too close, maintain eye contact and move away slowly or better yet try and be as still as possible until the snake moves away.
Remember if you encounter a snake, make yourself, children and any pets within the vicinity safe, call a snake catcher or council (if they offer a service for residence in your area) should you need it relocated.
Snakes don’t want to hurt you, given the chance they get as far away as possible from you.
🐍🐍Stay safe and be nice to snakes 🐍🐍
EASTERN BROWN CHASING BEHAVIOUR EXPLAINED 👇🐍
As a part of international snake bite awareness day please watch this video and read the below information.
When people tell of being ‘chased’ by a snake, they unknowingly misinterpret the snake’s behaviour and intentions. When they encounter a snake and it becomes defensive toward them, most people interpret any advance towards them as though the snake has the intention to ‘catch’ and bite them. While a bite can be the result of a close encounter, it is usually the snake’s last resort. Biting is rarely their initial reaction unless you step on one causing it to bite in defense.
In reality, the snake’s first intension is to act in a manner that intimidates the person into a hasty retreat. This is called defensive behaviour and it may include the following actions - rearing up, hissing, gaping the mouth, flattening the neck to look bigger and mock or bluff striking. Occasionally, they may advance towards a perceived threat in order to force their opponent to retreat, allowing them opportunity to escape, or at least feel safe again (this is the behaviour that is often mistaken for ‘chasing’).
Snakes that encounter humans a lot, such as the eastern brown, have become quite good at intimidating humans into leaving them alone. It is important to understand that they are exhibiting this behaviour because they perceive us as a large predator, and they don’t want to eaten.
As clearly demonstrated in this video, the snake advances towards me in an assertive manner because it perceives me as a large predator. Once I retreat and give it some space, it dives for the nearest cover.
What to do if a snake becomes defensive at you - For safety reasons, I always recommend removing yourself from the snake's vicinity as a first priority. If you find yourself very close to the snake and it is not acting defensively, for example a snake slithers past your foot, then it is generally better to remain perfectly still so that you don’t provoke any defensive behaviour by moving. At the end of the day it is your call as to which course of action is more suited to your situation.
If after watching this video you still believe snakes intentionally mean you harm, then please consider the following facts.
1) Venomous snakes don’t see us as prey and their only reason for biting is defense.
2) Snakes perceive humans and anything else larger than them (even vehicles) as large potential predators. Basically, if it’s big and it moves around them, they perceive it as a threat to their life and will defend themselves.
3) Snakes are NOT territorial and will only defend their personal safety, not a territory like a dog.
4) Snakes are born with every instinct they need to survive in the wild. One of these instincts is defensive behaviour. They do not think - which human am I going to chase today. In their mind, they are simply trying to survive an encounter with a large predator.
5) Snakes respond to movement defensively (especially eastern browns). The more you move around, the more defensive they can become.
6) Statistics collected by scientists and hospital case studies, have proven that eastern brown snakes only envenomate 20-40% of the time. If you were a prey item (a rodent for example) they would envenomate 100% of the time. With dry bites being so common, it stands to reason that they instinctually know not to waste their venom on something they cannot eat. A venomous bite is simply a by-product of the snake using biting as a technique to defend itself - not because the snake is intentionally trying to use its venom on a human or pet.
The above info is designed to help the general public understand the defensive nature of snakes so they don’t put themselves at further risk by trying to kill the snake - This increases your chance of being bitten by 80% and does almost nothing to solve the person’s perceived 'snake problem'.
