[stixman]

Just completed a nice carved snake walking stick.

The cane is red, yellow, and black with brass hame handle.

The cane is approximately 36" tall.

The snake coils around the cane from top to bottom.

Take a look at the picture and let me know your thoughts.

 

[Rad]

Very nice! I have always liked the hame toppers, it's a nice addition to the snake!

 

[CAS14]

That's a beaut! Those snakes must require a lot of patience.

 

[cobalt]

Thats a powerful image there,is it based on a real snake?

Looks a bit tricky to carve

 

[Thistle]

Awesome work, stixman! Looks deadly.

 

[gdenby]

Really good looking. I always thought coral snakes looked really cool. Whoever carries it should draw lots of attention.

 

[Thistle]

Thats a powerful image there,is it based on a real snake?

Looks a bit tricky to carve

Yes, it looks like a coral snake. They have a pattern of alternating red, yellow, and black bands. In North America red and yellow bands touching means poisonous. We have them in Arizona.

Snakes that mimic corals have alternating red, black, and yellow bands. Red and black bands touching means they are not venomous.

Children are taught a mnemonic to help remember which to avoid:

Red and yellow kills a fellow.

Red and black, safe from attack.

 

[CAS14]

From a recent issue of Science:

"Exotic, elusive, and dangerous, snakes have fascinated humankind for millennia. They can be hard to find, yet their 3000 species have conquered almost every corner of the planet. They play key roles in religion and mythology-and even now snakebites kill an estimated 100,000 people annually.

These days, molecular biologists, too, are falling under the spell of snakes, pursuing the secrets of their bizarre anatomy and powerful venoms. To mark the publication of the first two snake genomes, Science reporters take a close look at the work of scientists who were bitten-in some cases literally-by snakes."

 

[Thistle]

It would be nice if they were a little more elusive and less dangerous where I live.

Mohave rattlesnakes are abundant, territorial and very aggressive here. Terrifying stuff for me and anyone with dogs. But I think most snakes avoid people when possible. It's just not always easy to avoid them. They are lightening fast, and they don't always give a proper warning notice. There is a theory about that too.

I'm all for science falling under the spell of venomous snakes IF it leads to more research. There is probably some very powerful medicine in snake venom. The Gila Monster produces a neurotoxin which is as toxic as coral snakes. There is now a drug which helps to manage type 2 diabetes. It is a synthetic version of a protein that was discovered in the saliva of Gila Monsters. There is also additional research because this same protein also heightens memory. They think it could help in other health-related areas such as Alzheimer's, ADHD, schizophrenia...