quote:How does one tie a 23-foot snake to a tree? I'd think it would be strong enough to break a rope.
No, you misunderstand. Imagine the scene from Jungle Book where Baloo ties Kaa to a tree. No rope neccessary.
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(But really, how do they do that? I'm figuring the only place to put the rope securely is right behind its head, but is that enough to hold a snake that size, or would they need to pretty much straightjacket the snake full-length to the tree?)
*is oddly fascinated by the concept of large-scale snake-confinement*
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(But really, how do they do that? I'm figuring the only place to put the rope securely is right behind its head, but is that enough to hold a snake that size, or would they need to pretty much straightjacket the snake full-length to the tree?)
*is oddly fascinated by the concept of large-scale snake-confinement*
They certainly did not tie the snake to itself, you usually have to break a snakes bones to be able to do that.
Snakes certainly are not strong enough to break a good rope. Remember their strength is in their ability to crush their coils together. You won't see a snake even attempt to move their prey to a more secure locations because they simply cannot manage it.
Snakes move by "waving" or I guess you could say pressing their belly scales against the ground and pulling them back in a coordinated fashion. A less effective means of transportation to be sure but they have managed it quite grandly. This allows them to move their bulks quite efficiently but snakes are not a "fast animal" by a long shot. In fact, if a snake has just eaten it is hard pressed to move anywhere. Hence if you agitate a fed snake it will regurgitate its prey so that it can flee more efficiently, (though there might be more to it then that).
To illustrate it another way, take crocodiles. Any human being can clasp a crocodiles jaws shut, the muscles that open it are quite weak, but try prying their jaws open and you have an epic struggle on your hands. In same token, any snake can be prevented from slithering away by an adult. Its nearly impossible to uncoil a snake that is constricting somebody.
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posted
Ah. Thank you, that makes much more sense now. I'm used to dogs and horses, and I have hardly any experience with snakes (read: none), so I was having trouble shaking the collar/halter/leash images out of my head.
But just to clarify, by "straightjacket" I never meant that I thought they tied the snake to itself. I was thinking something more along the lines of possibly confining its body by wrapping it around the tree. Stupid, I know, but if securing its head isn't enough, and since snakes wrap themselves around trees and branches with no ill effects...well, it made sense in my head. Almost. Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I'm sorry, but how good of a guard dog can it be to get beaten by a python? A python, frankly, isn't the most agile creature in the world, you know.
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quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy: Haven't you ever seen the movie Anaconda?
I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer. Personal pride is at risk.
They can strike EXTREMELY fast, they don't chase down their prey they ambush it. I imagine the other dogs when they saw it kill the first one came over and that was the last mistake they ever made.
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posted
I got the impression the eating of 11 dogs took place over a length of days / weeks / months. While Pythons can eat large animals, I'm not sure it could handle 11 medium animals all at once...
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quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: Contrast this with our treatment of the mountain lions from another thread.
Hey, I wasn't in favor of the treatment of those mountain lions and it's not standard treatment where I live, although I apparently killed the thread so it's not like anyone knows that. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
The snake ate dogs, not people. If it had eaten people, the reaction might have been different.
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quote:Originally posted by rivka: The snake ate dogs, not people. If it had eaten people, the reaction might have been different.
perhaps. Snakes typically have no qualms with eating whatever is in front of them, human or otherwise. Its a pretty stark contrast with many other predators who find humans unappealing on the average.
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I got the impression the eating of 11 dogs took place over a length of days / weeks / months. While Pythons can eat large animals, I'm not sure it could handle 11 medium animals all at once...
I'm sure that's the case. There was nothing in the article to indicate that it ate 11 dogs in a short space of time. The wording of "before it was finally discovered by villagers" also implies it was a long term affair.
While pythons can swallow animals whole, they take days/weeks to digest their food.
posted
I like the picture of all the guys holding the snake and sporting huge grins. And it's not even tied to the tree, yet.
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