Snakes have long fascinated and frightened humans. One morbid question that often comes up is whether a snake can survive being cut in half. If you’re short on time, the quick answer is no – a snake cannot survive being cut in half.
In this nearly 3,000 word article, we’ll cover everything you need to know to understand why cutting a snake in half is fatal. We’ll look at snake anatomy, the physical trauma of being cut in half, whether the two halves can function independently, and more.
Snake Anatomy and Physiology
Body Structure
A snake’s body is uniquely adapted for the serpentine form of locomotion. Unlike humans, snakes lack arms and legs. Instead, their muscular body is covered with scales and divided into many vertebrae that allow them to writhe and crawl (Herrel et al. 2008).
Though limbless, snakes have all the major organ systems like the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, nervous, excretory, and reproductive systems.
One of the most amazing adaptations is a snake’s flexible jaw. Snakes can open their mouths incredibly wide to swallow large prey whole, even larger than the diameter of their own bodies! This is facilitated by the loosely hung jaws, meatless cheeks, and backward-pointing teeth that grip prey and pull it down the throat (Greene 1997).
Additionally, a snake’s trachea or windpipe is also uniquely stretchy so that the passage of food does not obstruct breathing.
Organ Systems
A snake’s organs are efficiently packed into its elongate body cavity. The cardiovascular system comprises a three-chambered heart, various blood vessels, and capillaries that carry oxygenated blood and collect deoxygenated blood (Starck and Burghardt 1983).
Additionally, snakes have a slightly higher metabolism and heart rate after eating to aid digestion. Their streamlined respiratory system includes trachea, air sacs, and lungs for gaseous exchange.
The digestive system of snakes includes salivary glands, a stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas and intestine to break down food and absorb nutrients. Their urinary system contains kidneys, ureters, cloacal bladder and cloaca for osmoregulation and removal of metabolic wastes from blood (Starck and Burghardt 1983).
Finally, the nervous system consists of a brain, several cranial nerves and spinal nerve cords to allow sensory reception and motor responses.
Consequences of Being Cut in Half
Massive Physical Trauma
Being cut in half would cause massive and catastrophic physical trauma to a snake. The sheer brutality of such an act would severely damage tissues, organs, blood vessels and muscles. Such devastating injuries would understandably be incredibly painful and distressing for the snake.
Disrupted Organ Systems
Vital organ systems like the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems would be completely disrupted by being sliced in two. With organs severed, blood vessels ruptured and muscles torn apart, basic biological functioning would become impossible.
Death for the already suffering snake would be inevitable at this point.
Blood Loss
Being cut in half would also cause major blood loss for the snake. With blood vessels severed down the length of the body, the snake would quickly bleed out from the traumatic wounds. While the rate of blood loss would depend on the size and species of the snake, the injures would rapidly become fatal across the board without emergency veterinary treatment.
Can the Separated Halves Survive Independently?
Lack of Major Organs
When a snake is cut in half, each severed section lacks major internal organs that are vital for survival. The organs are concentrated more in the front half of snakes, with the back half composed more of spine, muscles and skin.
Without key organs like the heart, lungs and stomach, the back half will die quickly (Source). Even the front half containing important organs stands little chance of surviving long without the following challenges:
According to veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Coates (Source), the front half may continue moving for a period, but tissue death and the above factors soon set in. So while briefly alive, standalone survival is extremely rare without major medical intervention.
Infection Risks
As mentioned, one of the greatest risks facing a bisected snake is infection. With an open, gaping wound exposed to environmental bacteria and dirt, sepsis can rapidly take hold in the surviving half. Some key infection dangers include:
| Wound pathogens | Bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa can infect the wound site. |
| Abscesses | Pockets of pus can form deep in tissues due to infection. |
| Septicemia | Widespread, systemic blood infection spreading to organs. |
| Necrotizing fasciitis | Rapid “flesh eating” infection destroying muscles and skin. |
According to veterinary researcher Dr. Chris Tillson (Source), the open wound provides an entry point for oral and soil bacteria to infiltrate deep tissues and the weakened immune system cannot fight back. Antibiotics may temporarily help, but infection often progresses rapidly.
Between catastrophic fluid/blood loss, dehydration, shock and infection, the prospects of a bisection victim surviving are extremely grim.
Documented Cases
Limited Exceptions
While it is extremely rare for a snake to survive being cut in half, there have been a few documented exceptions. In one remarkable case from 2019, a Texas park employee found a 18-inch rat snake that had been run over by a lawnmower.
The snake was completely severed in half widthwise, but both halves were still moving and alive. The employee brought the snake to a wildlife rehabilitator who was able to surgically reconnect the two halves of the snake’s body. Amazingly, the snake survived the traumatic injury and procedure.
After several weeks of recovery and feeding on dead mice, the snake was eventually able to be released back into the wild.
Another fascinating case dates back to 1995, when a team of researchers intentionally cut a brown tree snake in half to study whether the two severed ends could regrow. When the snake was cut, the organs spilled out of both severed ends.
The researchers then cleanly sealed both ends and provided cell grafts to reconnect the muscle tissues. After a few weeks, the snake was able to partially coordinate motions again and was able to flick its tongue and avoid threats. However, the snake was never able to fully recover normal function.
This study demonstrated the incredible capacity for snakes to survive traumatic injuries, even if only temporarily.
Survival Time
If a snake is completely severed into two separate pieces, the maximum time it can possibly survive will depend on which body part contains key organs like the heart and lungs. The severed end with the head may continue moving for 30-60 minutes, as it still has a functioning brainstem that controls basic reflexive motions.
Meanwhile, the severed end with the heart may continue slithering for up to 6 hours, as the circulatory system continues to oxygenate muscles and power limited mobility.
However, once oxygenated blood ceases to circulate through the snake’s body, all organ function halts. Without prompt surgical reattachment, a fully severed snake will ultimately perish within several hours at most.
The previous examples of snake survival after bisection were extremely rare anomalies, relying on immediate emergency care from wildlife experts and serendipitous precise cuts through non-vital areas.
In reality, a thoroughly bisected snake has virtually no chance of surviving permanently on its own without rapid intervention.
Conclusion
As we’ve explored, the anatomy and physiology of snakes makes it highly unlikely they could survive being cut in half. The traumatic injury severely damages all the major organ systems necessary for basic functions like breathing, circulation, digestion, and immunity.
While there are exceptional cases of snakes surviving for short periods after dismemberment, ultimately they cannot survive long-term. The blood loss, infection risk, and lack of critical organs spell an eventual death sentence.
So if you were wondering whether snakes can pull through after being cut in half – unfortunately, science tells us the prognosis would not be good. Their intricate body systems simply aren’t built to withstand and recover from such extreme physical trauma.
Now you know why cutting snakes in half is reliably fatal.
