Well, many Kudos for you for at least stoping and trying to help... unlike 99.999% of the other beings that call themselves human who inhabit that planet. And yeah, you did the right thing. An 8 foot snake in severe pain is nothing to mess around with...and they WILL bite you. It was most likely a Burmese python, but you can never be too sure.
I have been dealing with snakes for 25+ years, and I am pretty sure I coulden't have hit it with a hammer (just do to its thrashing... not due to any qualms I have about killing something that is already dead, just dosent know it yet).
It's back was most likely broken... and even if it survives the initial injury.. often times they starve to death because the throat muscles dont work, or some other nasty, slow kind of death. Leaving it on the highwway, where another car most likely finished the poor thing off fairly soon, was the best thing to do, unfortunatly.
And many... Kudos for realizing that hitting it with an accurate blow to the head was not within your ability...cause if it had bitten you (and they are MUCH faster than humans).. there is a real chance of you suffering a nasty injury.
I worked at the Franklin Park zoo for two years... I was the "replacement" for the previous reptile keeper, who was bitten by a 12 foot Burmese python... she did the instinctual thing when the snake struck, and pulled her arm back... and therefore the pythons 200+ recurved teeth rather than just sinking in, took a huge chunk of her arm away with them. And when her wound was healing, scar tissue started pressing on the nerve endings, causing nerve damage. So, yeah... Jeff Corwin may make wrangling snakes look easy... but its not!
I thought of you while this whole situation was taking place, sort of a "WWSD?" ("What Would Sothe Do?") moment. The only thing I know about handling snakes is that you're not supposed to end up inside them.
I looked at some photographs of Burmese Pythons today, and I think you're spot-on in your identification of the snake. It was very pretty, and must have been more so when it wasn't badly hurt.
I have been dealing with snakes for 25+ years, and I am pretty sure I coulden't have hit it with a hammer (just do to its thrashing... not due to any qualms I have about killing something that is already dead, just dosent know it yet).
It's back was most likely broken... and even if it survives the initial injury.. often times they starve to death because the throat muscles dont work, or some other nasty, slow kind of death. Leaving it on the highwway, where another car most likely finished the poor thing off fairly soon, was the best thing to do, unfortunatly.
And many... Kudos for realizing that hitting it with an accurate blow to the head was not within your ability...cause if it had bitten you (and they are MUCH faster than humans).. there is a real chance of you suffering a nasty injury.
I worked at the Franklin Park zoo for two years... I was the "replacement" for the previous reptile keeper, who was bitten by a 12 foot Burmese python... she did the instinctual thing when the snake struck, and pulled her arm back... and therefore the pythons 200+ recurved teeth rather than just sinking in, took a huge chunk of her arm away with them. And when her wound was healing, scar tissue started pressing on the nerve endings, causing nerve damage. So, yeah... Jeff Corwin may make wrangling snakes look easy... but its not!
Sorry to hear your day was so hot and unpleasant!
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I looked at some photographs of Burmese Pythons today, and I think you're spot-on in your identification of the snake. It was very pretty, and must have been more so when it wasn't badly hurt.
Thanks for the sympathy!
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