9 replies to this topic

[truethat]

I was wondering.

Do you think that snakes like pythons might have been our early human's natural predators?  Do you think this is why we fear them irrationally today?

Do you think they helped us evolve?  Perhaps they chased us out of the water.  A snake would be able to outswim a monkey like creature in the water.

But on land a running creature would have a better advantage?

What do you think?

[frogfish]

Perhaps it's a primitive fear of preadators. An "instinct". Animals are always afraid of predators.

[War-Junkie]

I'm not afraid of snakes i think there cool but they could have had a part in us evolving.  i think allot of animals had there own part in it

[draconic chronicler]

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I was wondering.

Do you think that snakes like pythons might have been our early human's natural predators?  Do you think this is why we fear them irrationally today?

Do you think they helped us evolve?  Perhaps they chased us out of the water.  A snake would be able to outswim a monkey like creature in the water.

But on land a running creature would have a better advantage?

What do you think?

Snakes have definately made a big impression on man, for they appear as supernatural, intelligent creatures in virtually every world religion, often with embellishments like wings, as in the Judao-Christian theologies, where they become the Seraphim, highest of Heavenly creatures in the the Bible, though this is largely unknown by most Christians today.  Interestingly, in many cultures as well, they are responsible for bringing wisdom and technology to mankind, so early man believed the serpent dieties were often helpful, rather than hateful.  This is particularly true in agricultural based societies, that relied on serpents to destory the rodents that infested their grain.  But in nomadic cultures, where poisonous snkaes threaten them and their livestock, snakes are regarded as evil.  Thus we see the serpent in the agricultural Sumerian eden story as benificent, and in the nomadic Hebrew version as evil.

Primates such as monkeys and chimps are positively terrified of large snakes, and to some degree these large snakes prey on them.  In fact, some anthropologists suggest that the universal terror of "dragons" in virtually every human culture, stems from them being comosites of the three creatures primates fear the most, great serpents like the dragons head and neck, wings like predatory birds, and great taloned arms like leopards and lions.

Crocodiles would have been, and still are, a more formidable water predator than snakes, particularly in Africa, where early man devleoped.  And these too, probably formed the basis of some of the dragon legends, and even their worship in Egypt.  Some believe the invinceable Leviathan described in the Bible is a crocodile, although that one happpens to breath fire.

[carini]

I think snakes have always been a part of humanity. Most people show a natural aversion to them, we at least right off the bat know that they might injure or possibly kill us.

Dragons in my opinion are more then likely attributed to people finding fossils of giant flying and large dinosuars in the past. Alot of early humanity survived in caves, where more then likely they came accross some fossils and made them out to be dragons.

[Conspiracy]

didnt snakes help early humans evolve better eye sight?

[Cadetak]

We fear snakes because they can easily get onto a plane and convince us to eat delicious fruits.

Edited by Cadetak47, 17 December 2006 - 03:02 AM.

[frogfish]

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we at least right off the bat know that they might injure or possibly kill us.

People commonly make this misconception. Most snakes are coloubrids, and can't harm humans.

[Xackek]

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People commonly make this misconception. Most snakes are coloubrids, and can't harm humans.

I wouldnt say they cant harm us. They can bite us and that causes harm (not to the extent where we die but still harms us :\ might hurt) most cant KILL us though. Unless of course we're children playing with anacondas or diamond backs .

[frogfish]

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They can bite us and that causes harm

Yep, all snakes will bite WHEN PROVOKED or CORNERED.