Snake Expert Rates 9 Snake Attacks In Movies | How Real Is It? | Insider

Summary

Herpetologist Dr. Sara Ruane analyzes scenes depicting snake attacks and snakebites from various movies to judge their realism. She discusses snake behavior, venom, antivenoms, and first aid, noting inaccuracies like hissing, congregating in groups, instant paralysis from bites, and more. Dr. Ruane points out realistic details too, like a snake's calm demeanor when undisturbed. She assigns realism scores to each scene while sharing facts about snakes - their sensing abilities, constriction, feeding, self-defense, and more. Overall an informative, entertaining analysis revealing much myth alongside some truth in Hollywood's snake depictions.

Takeaways

• 😱 Venom needs to enter bloodstream to be effective; eating venom usually harmless
• 😐 Staying calm and still is the best way to avoid snake bites
• 😬 Cutting into snakebite wounds makes things worse; don't try to suck out venom
• 🤔 Snakes don't hear or see well; they sense vibrations and smell with tongue flicking
• 🙅‍♂️ Pheromones don't make snakes aggressive to humans or other species
• 🚫 Constrictors kill prey before eating; won't just gulp down live humans
• 🐍 Most snakes avoid biting when possible; human myths malign snake behavior
• 💉 Antivenom takes multiple monitored doses; not an instant snakebite cure
• 😡 Neurotoxic venoms like black mamba's quickly paralyze nervous system
• 🏥 Get snakebite victim medical help ASAP; tracking swelling shows venom progression

Q & A

What are some ways snakes actually hear or sense vibrations?

Snakes don't hear very well, but they can feel vibrations through their jawbones. They may also pick up on super-low frequencies. Mainly snakes use their tongue flicking to collect odor molecules and understand their surroundings.

How exactly does a snake's jaw work when swallowing large prey?

A snake's upper and lower jaws are not fused together. This allows them to stretch their lower jaw very wide horizontally. Snakes swallow prey by pulling it into their throat using one jaw at a time in an alternating motion.

Why can't anacondas move as quickly on land as shown in the movie clip?

Anacondas are very large, heavy-bodied snakes that spend most of their time in the water. The buoyancy allows them to reach massive sizes. On land their heavy bodies prevent them from moving rapidly like in the movie scene.

What should you do if a non-venomous snake bites you?

The bite itself is not dangerous. Non-venomous snakes have small, rear-facing teeth not likely to cause serious injury. Carefully remove the snake if it's holding on. Clean the wound and watch for infection, though serious infection is unlikely.

How does snake venom injected into tissue differ from poison that is ingested?

Snake venom must enter tissue or the bloodstream directly to be effective. Someone could consume venom by mouth and remain unharmed, unlike poison which causes harm when ingested.

How is antivenom actually administered to snakebite victims?

Multiple doses of antivenom are given based on bite severity and symptoms, not a single dose like in movies. The patient is monitored and may receive more antivenom if symptoms persist or worsen. Antivenom stops circulating venom but doesn't reverse damage done.

What should you NOT do if bitten by a venomous snake?

Do not make cuts over the wound or try to suck out the venom. This is ineffective and causes more tissue damage. Also do not kill or bring the snake to medical staff - identification can be done without it.

Why don't groups of snakes swarm or attack humans like shown in some movie scenes?

These behaviors are completely unrealistic. Snakes act alone defensively; they will not amass as a group to bite someone. A biting snake will release and retreat once no longer threatened.

How does neurotoxic versus hemotoxic venom affect snakebite victims differently?

Neurotoxic venom attacks the nervous system causing paralysis, loss of breathing capability, etc. Hemotoxic venom destroys tissue cells and blood vessels, causing localized rotting and potential need for amputation.

What should you do if encountering a snake in the wild?

Try to remain calm and still so as not to startle it. Do not make sudden movements. Back away slowly if possible. Most snakes will not chase or attack without provocation.

Outlines

00:00

😨 Discussing snake bites in movies and judging accuracy

Dr. Sara Ruane introduces herself and says they will look at snake attacks in movies and judge their realism. She discusses the plausibility of snakes ending up on a plane, noting they could sneak in luggage or hide on the plane. She identifies the harmless snakes falling from the ceiling and says even nonvenomous snakes can bite defensively. She will rate the movie's realism.

05:02

😴 Analyzing constriction and feeding behaviors of snakes

Dr. Ruane explains how the movie anaconda moves unrealistically fast and seems unnaturally large and strong out of water. She discusses how lone humans can't easily escape a large constrictor without help. She notes the movie shows the snake gulping down the person, while in reality they consume prey more slowly in a complex process.

10:03

💉 Discussing treatments for snake bites and portrayals in movies

Dr. Ruane notes snake bites in the US often occur on hands, ankles and legs. She explains cutting the wound to suck venom is not recommended and ingesting venom is not dangerous. She says the movie realistically shows possibly needing amputation if treatment is delayed after a venomous bite. She rates the accuracy of antivenom portrayal in another movie clip.

15:04

😡 Analyzing mamba snake behavior and neurotoxic venom effects

Dr. Ruane says a black mamba could realistically strike at a human's face while feeling threatened. She explains their neurotoxic venom can paralyze nervous system functions like breathing. She says the movie reasonably shows fast acting effects but immediate immobilization from a bite is unlikely.

20:05

😃 Most enjoyable clip to analyze; importance of portraying real animals

Dr. Ruane's favorite scene was Indiana Jones with mostly harmless snakes and legless lizards. She enjoyed identifying real animals and found the behaviors realistic. She contrasts with inaccurate movies portraying animatronics or behavior unlike real snakes. She closes by inviting viewers to watch the next video.

Keywords

💡snake

The video focuses extensively on snakes - their physiology, behavior, habitats, and interactions with humans. Examples include discussions of snake venom, constriction, attacks on humans, portrayal in movies, etc.

💡venom

An important concept in the video is snake venom, which is used for predation and defense. The narrator discusses venom types (neurotoxic vs hemotoxic), effects, treatment, and mechanims of injection and action.

💡bite

Snake bites on humans are a major theme, including defensive bites, constriction, envenomation effects, first aid procedures, pathology, and treatment.

💡antivenom

Antivenoms can treat snake envenomation and are discussed at length regarding production methods, administration, limitations in reversing damage, cost, etc.

💡accuracy

A core message is assessing accuracy of snake depictions in movies. Scenes are analyzed on realism of morphology, behavior, bite effects, treatment procedures, etc.

💡behavior

Snake defensive behaviors are covered extensively - aggression, strikes, constriction, tendency to avoid conflict, reactions to humans, etc.

💡anatomy

Snake anatomy is discussed in the context of bites, constriction, feeding, venom delivery, heat sensing, hearing, etc.

💡treatment

First aid procedures and medical treatment for snake bites are analyzed in depth across several movie scenes.

💡pathology

Pathological effects of envenomation are mentioned including tissue damage, paralysis, respiratory failure, cell lysis, etc.

💡herpetology

As a herpetologist, the narrator provides scientific analysis of snake biology and behavior compared to movie depictions.

Highlights

Venom is only used defensively as a secondary defensive system.

Snakes primarily use venom to acquire prey, and to kill it in a safe way.

To avoid getting bit in a situation like that, staying still is a good strategy to start with.

Flicking their tongues, is how snakes are tasting everything in their environment.

If I was to fall in there, I would just keep an eye on the snake, and just calmly get myself out, just climb on back out.

The blinking, the hearing, that's not accurate whatsoever, but because they portray the snake so nicely, I'm still going to give it a six.

Trying to suck the venom out of a snakebite, it doesn't matter what kind of snake it is, it is absolutely useless.

Neurotoxic venom is going to cause your nervous system to start shutting down.

With snakes like rattlesnakes, I'm always going to be very, very, very cautious with how they're handled.

No herpetologist who doesn't want to end up in the hospital would ever do that.

There's no kind of snakes, including cottonmouths, that are going to congregate together to hang out on somebody just to bite them.

If in fact that kid, say, tried to pick up a snake, or fell on a snake and did end up getting bit, no other snakes would show up to check it out or get involved.

Using that Sharpie and getting the time is tracking how the venom is progressing through the kid's system.

You're going to have swelling. Your cells are going to start doing all sorts of crazy things. Lysing, popping open, hemorrhaging.

Saying, "Let's get this person to the clinic", and then just going to some actual trained medical staff, is absolutely the right answer.

Transcripts

Trying to suck the venom out of a snake bite,

it doesn't matter what kind of snake it is,

it is absolutely useless.

I'm Dr. Sara Ruane, and I'm the assistant curator

of reptiles and amphibians

at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.

Today, we are going to look at snake attacks in movies

and judge how real they are.

What the?

I think a snake could end up

in someone's luggage accidentally and then it gets out,

or it could be just stowaway somewhere in the plane itself.

Snakes are pretty good at getting into really small places,

and they are really secretive, so they could be there

for a long time and you just wouldn't even know it.

There are so many species of snakes in this scene.

They are a mixture of harmless snakes

that aren't going to cause any problems for anybody.

So, those are milk snakes falling out of the ceiling,

maybe a corn snake,

some of the most common pet snakes that people keep.

Even if a snake isn't venomous,

one of the ways it'll defend itself when it is cornered

is by striking and biting.

Snakes actually have pretty weak jaw musculature

with respect to chomping down

because they don't chew their food,

they swallow everything whole.

If the snake doesn't have fangs, if it's not venomous

and all it has are these tiny little teeth

and it was to bite down on you,

it's really not that big of a deal.

Yes, sir, I'm soaking the leis with it.

The pheromone will make these guys go f---ing crazy.

The use of pheromones to make these snakes

act so wild is not realistic.

Pheromones in snakes are very poorly understood,

but pheromone work has been done across squamates,

which is the group that contains snakes and lizards,

and so some work on geckos has shown

that they absolutely do use pheromones to communicate.

Typically, pheromones are going to have a lot to do

with mates, finding mates, mate selection,

maybe even combat between males versus males

or females versus females over potential mates.

But as far as being aggressive towards other species,

that is really unlikely.

I'm going to give "Snakes on a Plane"

a four for realism.

I like that there are actually some real snakes used

in the movie, but the behavior of these snakes

is a really bad look for snakes and totally inaccurate.

A human can outrun pretty much every snake that exists.

Flat out, an anaconda certainly can't chase down a person.

This anaconda has a lot of upper-body strength

that a real anaconda would not be able to muster up,

particularly out of the water.

Anacondas are primarily aquatic,

and they reach massive, massive girths,

and one of the reasons they're able to do that

is because they live in the water

and the water supports that body weight.

So, the anaconda in this movie seems gargantuan in size.

It seems maybe that it's somewhere in the 40-foot range.

And although anacondas are thought to be able to approach

approximately 30 feet, the reality is that

as far as legitimate documentation

that has not been questioned,

20, 25 feet is a lot more realistic.

If they are on the larger side and you are by yourself

and one was to wrap around you,

you need a second person there to get out of that.

It wouldn't be undoable if you have a second person

who can start unwrapping the snake,

but by yourself, you actually are pretty limited

in what you can do to get out of that situation.

Snakes typically that constrict

are going to fully kill whatever it is they're trying to eat

before they start actually consuming it.

By constricting their food first,

then it takes away the ability for the prey to do anything.

In reality, that snake is going to be taking its time

when it's feeding, and given the way snake skulls

are put together, it's not a simple process.

People talk a lot about snakes

unhinging their jaws when they feed,

but the reality is that their jaws

are not actually attached to start with.

So, the upper skull is all one piece,

but the lower jaws actually sit

in a little groove on each side.

The lower jaw of a snake is the same thing,

where it can stretch out very, very wide.

And so this stretchy ligament allows the snake

not just to open its jaws very wide horizontally.

In this clip, when the snake is feeding,

it seems to just be gulping down the human,

but in reality, in order to pull that person

down into their digestive tract and down their throat,

that snake is actually going to be using one jaw at a time,

and then once it really gets down into the throat

where there's a lot of musculature,

it can start using those muscles

in the same way that we swallow something.

But it takes a while

before that sort of natural reflexive action takes over.

So, I give "Anaconda" a four

because the way that anaconda moves around

and its speed is incredibly unrealistic.

Anacondas are not out looking to eat people, anyway.

What we're seeing is a mixture

of sort of heavy-bodied snakes, boas and pythons,

and then a bunch of legless lizards

that aren't snakes at all.

Snakes are just a kind of lizard,

and so if we were to look at a family tree

of snakes and lizards, snakes are just within it.

The snake sitting there like that and looking defensive

but not really doing anything is pretty accurate.

Snakes are doing almost everything in their power

to not bite.

Venom is only used defensively

as a secondary defensive system.

Snakes primarily use venom to acquire prey

and to kill it in a safe way.

To avoid getting bit in a situation like that,

staying still is a good strategy to start with.

Staying calm, no herky-jerky motions.

Anything that's going to startle the snake is more likely

to make it bite because it's going to get scared.

And then just trying to back away very slowly

and calmly would be the next step.

So, that's a python, and it's just hanging out.

That seems pretty realistic.

That's what most snakes do.

Most snakes, even if you're up close in their face,

are going to remain pretty calm

if they can avoid having to do anything.

One of the best ways snakes defend themselves

is by not moving and hoping you don't really see them.

I'm going to give it a five.

What I like about this clip is that the snakes

for the most part are acting the way snakes do.

These snakes are mostly just minding their own business.

Maybe they are striking a little bit

when Indiana Jones is actually kind of harassing them,

but even the cobra doesn't do anything,

and that's really quite realistic.

I have to take some points off because

most of the animals in this clip aren't snakes at all.

Can you hear me?

Snakes really don't hear the way that we do.

If you have a pet snake,

you're not going to teach this snake its name,

and it's going to look up at you

and recognize that you're even talking to it.

That being said, snakes can feel vibrations,

particularly through their lower jawbones,

so they can feel something like a footfall.

And there is certainly evidence that snakes do hear

super-super-low frequencies,

but the human range is not something

that snakes are picking up on.

Flicking their tongues

is how snakes are tasting everything in their environment

and bringing those odor molecules back into their mouth

and letting their brain process what it is that's around.

So even if they can't see it,

they are able to sense when something is there,

whether that's something to worry about, like a predator,

or whether it's something to be excited about,

like maybe a potential mate,

or whether it's something to eat.

This snake is in a zoo environment.

It's probably incredibly used to people,

and it's probably very well fed.

If I was to fall in there,

I would just keep an eye on the snake

and just calmly get myself out, just climb on back out.

They act the way I'd expect people to act.

Jumping on furniture, trying to get out of the way.

If a snake wanted to do something to a person though

because it felt defensive

or whether it thought it was going to eat somebody,

which is really unlikely,

climbing up on something is probably not an effective way

to get away from it.

But again, you could just kind of walk away quickly.

The snake's not likely to follow you.

It portrays the snake as very calm and docile,

which is pretty realistic.

The blinking, the hearing,

that's not accurate whatsoever,

but because they portray the snake so nicely,

I'm still going to give it a six.

That snake in the clip looks like it is very deliberately

coming over, sinking its front two fangs only into her

with the express purpose of biting her.

And that's a really weird thing to try to portray

because that's really not how snakes bite.

They're going to engage both their upper and lower jaws

and bite fully.

In the United States, getting bit on the hand

or on the ankle or leg

tends to be where people get bit the most.

Cutting a cross or an X or a slash into a snakebite wound

is something that you see even in medical advice

for snakebite kits when you go back in time a little bit.

But the reality is that doing that

is only causing you more problems.

What people think when they do that

is they're going to make a nice incision

so they can start trying to suck that venom out

and really get it all out there.

Venom really needs to be injected

into the circulatory system, into the tissue directly

for it to be effective.

And so you could, assuming you don't have any sores

in your mouth or an ulcer maybe, something that's allowing

that venom to get into you, you could eat snake venom

and you would theoretically be totally fine.

And that's what makes venom different from poison.

Poison is something that you ingest it, you have to eat it,

and then it is able to penetrate into your body

through your stomach or through, sublingually in your mouth.

This character ultimately is unable to get help in time

to totally negate the effects of the venom

and ends up having to lose her arm.

If somebody gets bit by a snake like a rattlesnake

and is unable to get treatment relatively quickly,

it's not a death sentence.

However, that hemotoxic venom is going to start eating away

at the tissue where the bite site is,

and it's going to cause issues such as gangrene, rotting,

and ultimately, it may result in an amputation

even if you don't die from it.

So this is realistic in that this is what somebody might do

if they saw somebody get bit by a snake,

even if it's not the best treatment.

So I'm going to give this a six.

F---!

So, that's not a boomslang whatsoever.

This is a rat snake.

This is not anything what a boomslang even looks like.

It's probably the most inaccurate portrayal I've ever seen

given how many close-ups there are of a snake

that's quite distinctive-looking.

They don't have teeth up in the front of their mouth

that inject venom.

Instead, they have these enlarged teeth

in the back of their mouths.

They do not have a sophisticated venom-delivery system

like a syringe, the way a rattlesnake does.

Boomslangs were not known to necessarily be dangerous

because they don't have these front fangs.

30 seconds before the venom does its thing.

You could get yourself a big syringe of snake venom, 100%.

Because the way that antivenom is made,

you have to get venom from the snake species

you're targeting, and you do that by taking the snake,

and it's called milking it.

And basically, under controlled circumstances,

the snake is encouraged or forced to bite,

typically, it's kind of a rubber sheet

that is stretched over some sort of vial or cup,

and the snake bites into it,

and then the venom starts dripping down into the cup.

Oh.

Typically, when you see antivenom administered

in a movie like "Bullet Train,"

it's really not how it would go down in real life.

Antivenom isn't just a, oh, one dose and you're good.

Typically, you are given a certain number of doses

based on the severity of the bite

and the symptoms you're having,

specifically for the species or a group of species

that that antivenom was made to work for.

And you're monitored, and if you keep getting worse,

they'll give you a little bit more.

It's also ridiculously expensive.

It's not something you're just carrying around.

Having a dose of antivenom

and then getting bit relatively soon afterwards,

it might actually protect you from a subsequent bite.

One thing I'll point out

is that antivenom is very good at stopping the venom

that's circulating in somebody's body,

but whatever damage has happened typically isn't reversed.

A boomslang is not a constrictor,

and it's not necessarily going to wrap around something

and really hold on tight.

A rat snake, the snake that this looks like,

can do something like that,

but the snake's not going to hang on for dear life

given the opportunity to get away.

I'm going to give this a one.

I think this is one of the most unrealistic scenes

I've ever seen.

The snake isn't a boomslang.

The behavior of the snake is not anything like a boomslang.

The antivenom and how they portray it working

is totally unrealistic.

A snake definitely would be able

to sort of lunge forward and bite someone in the face.

Mambas are really big, or they can be really big.

They move pretty fast.

They do spend some time climbing around,

and so they do have pretty good ability

to come right at someone's face from that angle.

That would not be impossible.

It is possible that the snake would feel pretty worried

and defensive being surprised by a human,

which, from the snake's perspective,

is probably going to try to kill it

because that's usually what people try to do to snakes.

Most snakes posture

and only bite when they're really pushed towards it,

but it's certainly not impossible.

Budd, I'd like to introduce my friend, the black mamba.

Black mamba.

Somebody probably wouldn't so instantaneously

be feeling that bad.

I mean, they'd feel it, but it wouldn't necessarily be just

fall-on-the-floor-instantaneously bad

from a mamba bite.

Venomous snakes come in two main flavors.

You can have a snake that's neurotoxic

with respect to its venom or hemotoxic.

And black mambas fall

into the general category of neurotoxic.

Neurotoxic venom is going to cause your nervous system

to start shutting down,

and this occurs because the venom molecules

sort of glom on to our sodium potassium channels

and make it so that they don't pump efficiently,

and that's what causes you to have things like paralysis,

your diaphragm stops being able to function,

and so you can essentially have

no ability to breathe anymore.

This is not a bad clip with respect to realism.

I'm going to give this a seven.

With snakes like rattlesnakes,

I'm always going to be very, very, very cautious

with how they're handled,

and I'm never going to just pick up a rattlesnake like that.

No herpetologist who doesn't want to end up

in the hospital would ever do that.

When snakes bite, they typically strike, they make contact,

and they let go pretty quickly.

The only times where you see a snake hanging on like that

is, snakes have these recurved teeth,

and so because they curve backwards,

if they manage to kind of sink their teeth into something,

sometimes they can get a little bit stuck.

You do in fact have to kind of push them forward

and unhook them because of those recurved teeth.

That's not a thing that's going to work.

You could just do nothing, and it would be as effective.

Trying to suck the venom out of a snakebite,

it doesn't matter what kind of snake it is,

it is absolutely useless.

It just starts acting so fast

and dissipating through the tissues, through the blood

that there's no time to start trying to suck it out.

And it's not something that is, like, in a capsule

where you can just get it all out in one big suck.

Pouring alcohol on it is,

I can't imagine it really matters,

and it's certainly not going to suddenly

make the person sit up and be OK.

As far as portraying what a rattlesnake looks like,

it looks like a legitimate rattlesnake.

As far as the behavior,

as far as the way they're dealing with the bite,

totally ineffective.

I'm going to give this a five.

This is the worst one. For accuracy.

There's no kind of snakes, including cottonmouths,

that are going to congregate together

to hang out on somebody just to bite them.

If in fact that kid, say, tried to pick up a snake

or fell on a snake and did end up getting bit,

no other snakes would show up

to check it out or get involved.

That would never happen.

And the snake that was responsible for the bite,

the second it was no longer feeling threatened

or was being harassed,

it would take off and get out of there.

Mud: What time is it?

Neckbone: 4:18!

Mud: Yell it out every 10 minutes.

Using that Sharpie and getting the time is tracking

how the venom is progressing through the kid's system

and seeing how the swelling is progressing,

and that can be something useful.

Typically, you see that more in snakebite treatment

once the person's already at a hospital

so that they can see if the effects

of the venom are being slowed down

and that it has been essentially stopped by treatment,

typically by antivenom.

But that's not a bad thing to do.

The progress of the snake venom

and the swelling progressing through the kid's leg,

that seems pretty legitimate.

You're going to have swelling.

Your cells are going to start doing

all sorts of crazy things.

Lysing, popping open, hemorrhaging.

I'm going to give this a nine.

The snakes themselves are not portrayed

particularly accurately in their behavior,

but saying, "Let's get this person to the clinic"

and then just going to some actual trained medical staff

is absolutely the right answer.

And so for that reason alone, this gets my,

probably the highest rating I could give.

My favorite scene watching these clips today

is "Indiana Jones."

This is a movie I've seen before,

but it's only now in retrospect watching it,

seeing that all of the "snakes" in the movie

for the most part are actually just legless lizards,

I found it pretty charming.

It's fun trying to identify actual real animals,

versus something like "Bullet Train,"

where it's totally inaccurate.

Thanks for watching. If you liked this video,

why not slither on over to the next one?