Thanks Red Badger. Sounds like he lost a bet. But that's creziness on a whole different, uh, scale...
Posted on 04/24/2019 12:28:45 PM PDT by Red Badger
ARCHAEOLOGISTS were stunned to find a 1,500-year-old fossilised human poo contained an entire snake.
The snake, almost certainly a type of rattlesnake, was swallowed without any kind of cooking or preparation – sugggesting that it was seated as part of a religious ritual or possibly for a bet.
Which is why we specified cave-MAN. Swallowing venomous animals for a laugh is very much a bloke’s thing.
A team led by archaeologist Elanor Sonderman from Texas A&M University re-examined a collection of coprolites – partly-fossilized turds – that had been collected from Conejo Shelter site in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest Texas.
One of the samples stood out because it contained not only an entire rodent that had been swallowed without cooking or even skinning, but also a complete rattlesnake including its fangs.
The sample dates from approximately 1,500 years ago.
The archaeologists’ research paper says: “Zooarchaeological analysis found the remains of a small rodent, evidently eaten whole, with no indication of preparation or cooking.
“Notably, the bones, scales and a fang of a snake in the Viperidae family were also recovered from the coprolite, which is the first direct archaeological evidence of venomous snake consumption known to the researchers. “
The paper is headed “Potential ritualistic viperous snake consumption”
The samples would have been left by a group of hunter-gatherers known as Ancestral Puebloans. They were an ancient Native American culture that lived in parts of what is now Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.
They thrived in Southwestern America for about 4 or 5 thousand years before being gradually supplanted by Navajo tribes.
US tech site Gizmodo asked Professor Sonderman whether it was possible that the snake remains found into the prehistoric poo by chance, rather than being eaten but she told them this was highly unlikely: “The indigestible materials include some fibrous portions of plants, fur, bones, and the like.” She told them.
“The indigestible materials in the coprolite were coated in fecal matter.
“Based on the archaeological context it is possible that large portions of plant materials might have adhered to the coprolite soon after deposition but these exterior materials were removed from the coprolite before analysis.”
Bottom line: “The fang was inside the coprolite. Not hanging around on it.”
I have asked you over and over again, very politely, to please not post photos of my family reunion on Free Republic.
And who are the guys holding them?
Good one, lol.
Children’s song: “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly...”
“possibly for a bet”
Hold my Atlatl and watch this.
“I would argue that 500 AD is not “cave man” time frame.”
It all depends on what part of the world we are talking about. 2019 AD is still “cave man” time for some people.
Yup. No horses yet either.
In Taylor Texas, north east of Austin, they have a "Rattlesnake Roundup". One of the booths had grilled rattlesnake. It has the same texture as Atlantic Cod and tastes a bit like chicken, not bad eating though. It's a sort of county fair. One of the attractions was a glass booth with about twenty rattlesnakes inside. Also inside was a guy standing in a sleeping bag. Another guy picked up a couple of rattlers and dropped them inside the sleeping bag the guy was standing in.
There are some strange people in Texas.
Rattlesnakes.....good old “Jake No-Shoulders”.
Maybe the snake had eaten the rat before the man ate the snake.
Maybe the man died with his mouth open; the rat climbed down his esophagus to escape the snake; the snake followed it, was trapped, and died.
There are several possibilities.
Could they tell if it tasted like chicken to him?
Tart flavored some are—formic acid.
Thanks Red Badger. Sounds like he lost a bet. But that's creziness on a whole different, uh, scale...
To which he replied, “Yes, dick.”
There were no chickens in the New World at that time, so he had nothing to compare it to!...................
Well, at least it wasn’t a gerbil...................
“What kind of wine do you serve with rattlesnake?”
Ripple.
Deep fry in mostly butter with a lot of long neck Dixie 45s.
1,500 years, caveman? Somebody’s timing is way off.
Thank you. I will remember that if the opportunity presents itself.
Well, he crapped in a cave.....................
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