this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2025
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Most people know about sucking venom from a snakebite, even if they're not clear on details. They also know you probably don't want to wave a red cape in front of a bull.
That will kill you if you're bitten by an Australian snake. For Australian snakes you need a compressive bandage long enough to bandage the entire limb that got bitten, and you need to bandage it tight, starting close to the trunk and working towards the foot (or hand if you were stupid enough to put your hand near a snake), then back up. Two layers of bandage. Then the casualty needs to relax as well as they can while their companion goes to the nearest phone signal and calls for emergency transport.
If you want to avoid all that hassle, make sure you see the snake so you can stop 3 or so metres away and it will move away - it doesn't want to mess with you, you're big and scary. It'll only bite you if you corner it or step on it, or get too close for it to feel like it can safely escape
But that advice might get you killed in India, their snakes might attack you if you stop near them, perhaps you should run away. I'm not sure though, I don't live near those snakes
And what I do know is about land snakes in the southern Australian states. I don't know much about sea snakes up north, nor the tropical snakes, aside from the bandaging which is snakebite first aid all over Australia
Those are both great examples of why a character might try to throw anti-troll paste (tar) at trolls.
spoiler
A red cape doesn't mean anything different than a black cape to a bull, and sucking venom from a snakebite isn't a thing outside of movies. It won't hurt, but it won't do much good either. One myth that will cause damage is putting ice on a pit viper bite though, so remember to avoid doing that.Huh, TIL on the snakebite thing. I was pulling that from an old boy scout manual, just remember something about cutting the wound site first.
The red of the cape setting off a bull is a myth, sure; but you still don't want to wave any capes around in front of a pissed off bull! I'll stand by how I phrased that claim :p
Funny that you use those examples, since they're both wrong. If anything, we should be running at the trolls with stinky socks because someone wanted to sound smart at a bar once and made up a factoid that spread like wildfire among the common folk.
The red is done for dramatic effect in rodeos; it's movement they react to. Especially if they're feeling agitated, as in a rodeo.
Yeah, after they stick them with banderillas to scare and anger them into aggression. Without all the prep work to weaken and anger the bull, the cape wouldn't provoke it at all.