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I was told in the military that snakes cant bite through a regular army boots. Thankfully, I have never had it proven to me. The snake can bite above the boot

I was told in the military that snakes cant bite through a regular army boots. Thankfully, I have never had it proven to me. The snake can bite above the boot, or on other parts of the body so I am not saying it provies that much protection. I used to do a bit of hiking in Colorado. Using advanced open sandals. I can't remember the manufacturer. I was inches from stepping on a rattlesnake on one hike. I got out my army boots for every hike after that. (Far less comfortable) I hope it is true. Mind you, I am old now. I believe the army uses boots that are generations newer than mine. (They still sell the classics) I dont know if the new ones are better or worse when it comes ot the possibility of avoiding a snake bite.

hansvm 3y ago
> I was told in the military that snakes cant bite through a regular army boots. Maybe... I definitely stepped on a honey locust thorn in boots tougher than standard army issue and had it pierce the bottom of the boot, my foot, and the top of the boot. Rattlensake teeth have different geometry and force profiles, so they might not penetrate, but I wouldn't want to prove that fact in person.
- echelon 3y ago
  > honey locust thorn > pierce the bottom of the boot, my foot, and the top of the boot Oh dear god. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust#/media/File:HoneyLocustThorn.JPG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust#/media/File:Honey... > These thorns are thought to have evolved to protect the trees from browsing Pleistocene megafauna Did your foot heal alright?
  - hansvm 3y ago
    Yep, no problem. I was still a teenager, so basically every injury I sustained then is just a tiny scar now, along with a mental note of activities to avoid.
    - 1letterunixname 3y ago
      Haha. Yep, except I still have divot scars in my knees from skateboarding - protective gear + concrete. I do have some newer scars on my left hand and scalp from e-scooter + absurd urban Texas traffic "design" including random, worn, unpainted chunks of concrete in random places in the middle of the street because clearly only cars should use streets.
  - QuarterReptile 3y ago
    Wikipedia reports that those thorns are (or have been) sometimes used as nails! Come to think of it, I have no idea how a snake fang's construction compares to that of wood... Is there an expert on that lurking here?
pvaldes 3y ago
> I was told in the military that snakes cant bite through a regular army boots Just for the record, that rule may not apply in tropical Africa.
bluGill 3y ago
That is why real western cowboys wear cowboy boots: snakes cannot bite through. (of course cowboy boots are in style for non-cowboys, but real cowboys wear those boots because they are functional not because they are stylish)
rurp 3y ago
Venemous snakes come in enough variety of types and sizes that most boots probably provide some partial protection. The venom of a baby rattlesnake for instance is much more potent than that of an adult; footware that can only stop small fangs would still be helpful. Snakes are almost never aggressive though. A significant portion of snake bites happen to drunk people being stupid. The general guidance is to avoid putting your limbs anywhere you can't see and to leave snakes alone when you encounter them.

hansvm 3y ago

> I was told in the military that snakes cant bite through a regular army boots. Maybe... I definitely stepped on a honey locust thorn in boots tougher than standard army issue and had it pierce the bottom of the boot, my foot, and the top of the boot. Rattlensake teeth have different geometry and force profiles, so they might not penetrate, but I wouldn't want to prove that fact in person.

echelon 3y ago
> honey locust thorn > pierce the bottom of the boot, my foot, and the top of the boot Oh dear god. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust#/media/File:HoneyLocustThorn.JPG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_locust#/media/File:Honey... > These thorns are thought to have evolved to protect the trees from browsing Pleistocene megafauna Did your foot heal alright?
- hansvm 3y ago
  Yep, no problem. I was still a teenager, so basically every injury I sustained then is just a tiny scar now, along with a mental note of activities to avoid.
  - 1letterunixname 3y ago
    Haha. Yep, except I still have divot scars in my knees from skateboarding - protective gear + concrete. I do have some newer scars on my left hand and scalp from e-scooter + absurd urban Texas traffic "design" including random, worn, unpainted chunks of concrete in random places in the middle of the street because clearly only cars should use streets.
- QuarterReptile 3y ago
  Wikipedia reports that those thorns are (or have been) sometimes used as nails! Come to think of it, I have no idea how a snake fang's construction compares to that of wood... Is there an expert on that lurking here?

pvaldes 3y ago

> I was told in the military that snakes cant bite through a regular army boots Just for the record, that rule may not apply in tropical Africa.

bluGill 3y ago

That is why real western cowboys wear cowboy boots: snakes cannot bite through. (of course cowboy boots are in style for non-cowboys, but real cowboys wear those boots because they are functional not because they are stylish)

rurp 3y ago

Venemous snakes come in enough variety of types and sizes that most boots probably provide some partial protection. The venom of a baby rattlesnake for instance is much more potent than that of an adult; footware that can only stop small fangs would still be helpful. Snakes are almost never aggressive though. A significant portion of snake bites happen to drunk people being stupid. The general guidance is to avoid putting your limbs anywhere you can't see and to leave snakes alone when you encounter them.