18-year-old bitten by dead snake in Morena:Experts say reflex action keeps snakes dangerous even after death; similar cases reported in Assam

An 18-year-old girl from Sablgarh, Morena, Madhya Pradesh, died after being bitten by a dead snake last week (October 26). The incident, which initially shocked locals, soon raised a puzzling question — can a dead snake still bite and inject venom? Bhaskar spoke to experts and studied past research to understand how this rare but real phenomenon occurs. Read the full report.. Superstitious treatment cost precious time The victim, Bharti Kushwah, was reportedly bitten by a dead snake near her home. Initially, her family did not take her claim seriously. When her condition began to deteriorate within minutes, they panicked and took her to local quack doctors instead of a hospital. As is common in many rural areas, valuable time was wasted in superstitious rituals and unscientific treatments. The family moved from one village to another seeking traditional healers while the venom rapidly spread through Bharti’s body. By the time she was taken to Sablgarh hospital in critical condition, doctors declared her dead on arrival. When her body was brought home, mourning spread across the village. The incident has once again highlighted how blind faith and delay in medical treatment continue to cost lives in rural India. Similar cases reported in Assam Bharti’s death is not the only instance of a fatal bite from a dead snake. A scientific report by researchers from Assam, titled ‘A Case Report of Dead Snake Envenoming and Treatment’, has documented three such incidents, confirming that a snake can remain deadly for hours after its death. First case: Cobra bite while disposing of it In Assam’s Sivasagar district, a 45-year-old man killed a monocled cobra that was preying on his chickens. When he tried to throw the snake’s body, the severed head bit his right thumb. Within minutes, he experienced severe pain and vomiting. Though he reached the hospital within an hour and was given anti-venom, his thumb had turned black and later developed gangrene. It took him 40 days to recover. Second case: Krait bite 3 hours after death In Kamrup district, locals killed a black krait and threw it aside. Three hours later, a man picked up the snake’s head out of curiosity, and it bit his finger. Initially, he ignored the wound, but by midnight, he developed difficulty swallowing — a sign of neurotoxic venom. His condition worsened and he was placed on a ventilator. He recovered after 43 hours and was discharged six days later. Third case: Bite from a crushed cobra In another case from Kamrup, a farmer ran over a cobra with a tractor. Hours later, when he got down to check the vehicle, the supposedly dead snake bit his foot. He was treated with anti-venom, but his recovery took 65 days due to severe tissue damage. These cases prove that even after death, a snake’s bite can inject venom potent enough to cause serious illness or death. Why a dead snake can still bite? Dr. Mukesh Ingle, Director of the Reptile Conservation and Research Center in Ujjain, explains that a snake’s nervous system does not stop functioning immediately after death. He said, Its internal organs take time to shut down, and during this period, the muscles can still contract. This is known as a reflex action. He added that even if the brain is no longer active, the snake’s nerves can respond to physical touch. If someone picks up a dead snake or touches its mouth, its muscles may involuntarily move, causing the jaws to close and the fangs to pierce the skin. Veterinary doctor Dr. Brajesh Gupta from Bhopal compares it to a common observation: ‘Even after a lizard’s tail is cut, it keeps twitching for a while. This same reflex is stronger in snakes and can make their jaws snap shut.’ Venom gland works like a syringe According to Dr. Gupta, a snake’s venom delivery system operates mechanically, much like a syringe. The venom glands are connected to the fangs, and when a snake bites, muscles around the glands contract, pushing venom through the hollow fangs into the victim’s body. This means that even after the snake’s death, if pressure is accidentally applied to its venom glands — for instance, by touching or squeezing near its head — venom can still be released. ‘If the fangs pierce the skin, even a small amount of residual pressure can inject venom,’ Dr. Gupta said. Researchers have also noted that a dead snake can actually deliver a more lethal dose. A living snake can regulate how much venom it releases, but a dead one loses that control. Consequently, a dead snake bite may release all remaining venom in one go, making it potentially more dangerous. Delay and superstition lead to death While the biological phenomenon of a postmortem snake bite is rare, experts say superstition often turns survivable bites into fatalities. Surgeon Dr. D.C. Patel, who has treated over 17,000 snakebite cases, says, People still believe in rituals and local healers. The biggest cause of death is not venom but delay. Once the poison spreads through the nervous system, anti-snake venom loses much of its effectiveness. He stresses that immediate hospitalisation is the only proven treatment. “Every minute counts. Even if the snake is dead, the bite should be treated as an emergency,” he said.