Did this rattlesnake bite itself to death? Texas researcher comes across odd sight

With its potent venom and defensive temperament, the western diamondback rattlesnake can pose a real danger to prey and perceived threats — and perhaps even to itself, as a photo recently captured in Texas suggests.

A wildlife researcher stumbled across a deceased diamondback while tracking a group of bobwhites, according to a post by the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch, which is about 200 miles west of Fort Worth.

The photo shows the snake coiled loosely in the dirt, its head turned back toward itself with at least one fang lodged in its body.

“After a closer examination, it appeared that the snake may have died from self envenomation,” Luke Micek, a member of the RPQRR staff, wrote in a social media post.

The roughly 4-foot snake had died only recently when Micek came across it, he said.

“Most venomous snakes are believed to have some immunity to their own venom, but there are a few cases of fatal self envenomation,” he wrote, adding that in such fatal cases, disease and stress are often contributing factors.

Many were skeptical of the post, and the idea that a venomous snake’s own venom could kill it.

Some also suggested that it was the wounds from the bite, and not the venom, that caused the snake’s death.

Though uncommon, there is research from around the globe indicating that it is possible for venomous snakes to die as a result of injecting their venom into themselves.

But what might cause a snake to bite itself in the first place?

Stress, overheating and poor eyesight, particularly when shedding, can make a snake disoriented and confused, and more likely to strike at itself — or even self-cannibalize, according to IFLScience.

Other times, a snake may already be dying or in extreme pain, and it bites at where it hurts out of instinct, snake experts told Yahoo Australia in 2017.

“Think about it this way – when you get knocked on the arm, what do you do?” Brian Robinson, director of Snake Catchers, told the outlet. “You use your other arm to grab it and hold it because of the pain.”

Or a snake might just miss what it’s aiming at and hit itself instead, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Whatever the case, Micek said the encounter has served as a powerful reminder to watch his step in the outdoors.

“After running across this snake, I’m definitely going to be more cautious out in the field,” he said.

This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Did this rattlesnake bite itself to death? Texas researcher comes across odd sight."