lmao a pellet gun for a snake?? those aren't garters you're talking about...
No they ain't but a little thin skull they have as well as a kill zone of spine their entire length...
Always respectfully Brent, do NOT underestimate these snakes. In years gone by, I was a serious student of herpetology, especially of large constrictors. I've owned and handled the "big 5": Retics, African Rocks, Green Anacondas, Burms, and Scrubs, and they are incredibly powerful and resilient. I've seen them survive injuries that should have killed them 5 times over. Even though they may be "technically dead", they can still react reflexively.... and constrict.
In the past, it was thought that these snakes simply stopped prey from breathing. Not so. We now know that they squeeze so hard that they stop the heart from pumping blood. One study found that the big ones can squeeze with a force of over 90 pounds per square inch.
While there is no hard and fast rule, the rule-of-thumb is, never attempt to tackle a constrictor 9 feet long or over by yourself. They are far stronger than you might think.
The problem in the Everglades is far more complex than first thought, and I fear that ecosystem as we know it, is gone forever. The media has focused on Burmese Pythons, but there are also African Rock Pythons, which are far more aggressive.
Throw in
hybrid vigor and
indeterminate growth when these two interbreed and have few natural predators, and you have the makings of a nightmare straight out of a science fiction movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVRhRzE_AkQ&feature=related
The accidental introduction of
Brown Tree Snakes to Guam that resulted in the eradication of most of the island's birds, should serve as a mild example, and I fear that, in the long run, this will be far worse.