[caption id="attachment_78050" align="aligncenter" width="640"] bitten by snake 45 mins after killing[/caption]

Man Bitten by Snake Dead 45 Minutes

An Australian man who thought he was protecting himself and others from harm by cutting a snake in half with a shovel while doing yard work wound up in the hospital anyway when the snake, which had been dead about 45 minutes, managed to bite the man's hand anyway.

66-year old Jake Thomas decided to kill a venomous red-bellied black snake that he found while mowing the lawn at the cemetery in Werris Creek. While finishing up his volunteer job, he placed the remains of the reptile in a vase, then returned to dispose of it.

Thomas got the shock of his life when he reached inside the vase to retrieve the snake's dead body, only to feel the snake bite his hand. He saw two distinct bite marks on his left hand.

He immediately summoned help in order to get emergency treatment at a local hospital, where he was given anti-venom serum. Thomas reports, however, that his hand was swollen for more than 7 days and that in the future, he's promised himself to steer clear of any snakes, dead or alive.

James Murphy, head of the Reptile Discovery Center at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C, tells National Geographic, explain that within 60 minutes of being killed, a snake still displays a bite reflex.

By the time the snake has lost its head, it’s dead and the basic body functions have ceased, but there is still some reflexive action. In other words, snakes have the capability of causing biting and injecting venom even after the head has been severed, even though it is dead.

On The Web:

bitten by snake 45 mins after killing
http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/free/20140116australia-man-bitten-dead-snake.htm

How Did a Decapitated Snake Bite Itself?
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/16/how-did-a-decapitated-snake-bite-itself/