Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. First of all let me start by saying that I hope I dont upset anyone with this post. I am seeking understanding and cannot find the answers I seek ...so I came here.I hope someone can help me find the answers I search for.
I am not a snake fancier, well until today I suppose. I have never had one as a pet. My encounter with a garter snake was accidental and has been an unpleasant experience.
Today while working outdoors I struck a garter snake with a weed whipper. The injury was quite bad so in an effort to end its suffering I cut the head off. I was amazed that the head tried to bite me even an hour after being cut from the body. I was shocked that the body continued to move about with no head.
The body is in 3 segments... a head, a 4 inch section that is opened showing the heart, and the remaining foot and a half of the body.
It is now 7 hours since the accident and the head is now dead however the heart still beats in the small section and the large body section is still alive. I dont mean little spazms...I mean alive. It responds to my touch and hides when handled. It is slow but deliberate.
I am in absolute awe...and kinda freaked out to be honest.
How can the heart beat with no brain and how can the body move with no brain or heart to keep it alive and give it signals?
I am sickened thinking that this thing has been in agony for 7 hours and I am not sure how to kill it and end this pain.
Why is it still alive? How is this possible?
Im not exaggerating here..it has been 7 hours this poor thing has been on my deck. Each time I check on it I find it in a different position and it tries to evade me. It even swells showing the white spots on the sides and once raised its stump as if to threaten me.
Can anyone provide me with the answers?

Thanks in advance.

Hmm.... well knowing accidents happen as I am sure you didn't intend to hit it with the weed whacker and tried to put it out of its misery in the quickest way possible. I am surprised as well that the body is still twitching etc. I know that snakes can move around for a fair length of time after having their head severed but 7 hours seems a little extreme.

On a good note, I highly doubt the snake is aware of any pain...as it no longer has a brain to acknowledge nerve signals from the body. It may be best to just take the remains and freeze them, then bury them appropriately.

In the future to help avoid accidently injuring snakes or other creatures in the grass, maybe poke at the bushes with a stick to scare anything out of them.

Thanks for your response.
To update: The snake continued to move for 12 hours ! It was obvious to me that it was not erratic muscle spasms caused by random impulses but rather deliberate reaction to stimulus.
I have sought insight into this in many places.
I have found some spiritual insight but no physical scientific information.
At one point on examination the heart had ceased to beat but when I made physical contact it began to beat again. Remember that the heart was in a few inch section detatched from the body and head. The main body then slithered away from me and hid under a towel.This was not something I could find any physical basis for.
This experience has led me to accept spiritual explainations and I then proceeded to give the snake an appropriate 'burial'.
I chose to consume the flesh in an effort to assume the energies of the snake and the medicines it posessed.
This was obviously no average snake.
This was my way of respecting the snake and closing the circle. I have also kept the skin and will make something of it which will stay with me and serve as a reminder of this experience.
I have a newfound respect for snakes to say the least.

And yes...in future I will definately poke around with a stick before I whip. I will no longer assume the noise will frighten any creatures away and do not want another creature to meet the same fate as the snake.
Thanks again.