A Severed Snake Head Still Bites — and Almost Killed Him
A 72-year-old in Zhejiang lopped off a cobra with a shovel, then picked up the severed head barehanded five minutes later — and nearly lost his life to the bite.
In Zhuji, Zhejiang, 72-year-old Mr. Zhang came face-to-face with a venomous cobra right outside his home. He swung a shovel and lopped the snake clean in two, convinced the danger had passed. Five minutes later, he crouched down to scoop up the severed head with his bare hands — and it lunged, sinking its fangs into his wrist and pumping venom through the wound.
There is nothing supernatural about it. A snake's strike is a reflex, not a thought. Even after decapitation, the jaw muscles and venom glands can keep firing on autopilot for several minutes, long enough for a "dead" serpent to land one final, very real bite.