The Cruel and Inhumane Decapitation of Snakes

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been reading up on death. Morbid stuff. But I come across some really interesting crap too. Again morbid, but how about this:

In 1986, Clifford Warwick, a vet in the UK, wrote a letter to the editor of the Canadian Veterinary Journal. It was in regards to the appropriate method of euthanasia for snakes a reptiles. He was advocating against decapitation because, it seems, a reptilian head can stay alive and responsive for up to 59 minutes (!!) after being severed.

“One hears of anecdotal accounts where snakes and lizards indicate consciousness following decapitation, as the head may be seen to react to an approach by attempting to defend itself, respond to touch with movement and respond to light with pupil dilation and contraction. Klauber (7) was one of the first to document such reactions as much as 59 minutes after decapitation. However, he made no conclusions regarding the 13 rattlesnakes, used in his experiments, ability to feel pain. “

They manage this extra-ordinary feat because of their extreme tolerance to hypoxia or oxygen deprivation.