Many people who like to spend time outdoors tell stories about how they have been chased by snakes. However, the herpetologists, who are the people who study amphibians and reptiles, say that this is not true. They say that the snakes most of the times want to escape. In order to understand more about the behavior of the snake that may appear to be chasing another person, it is good to know first that snakes are not going to benefit in any way when they chase a person. Since the snake is not able to eat the person, it is not looking for food. They are not that vengeful and will not chase people just because of hatred.
People believe that when a snake is disturbed, it will chase the offender, then wrap their body against the person and squeeze him until he dies. However, this has been found to be a myth. Some snakes are too slow to outrun a human being. Another myth is that when a snake is sunbathing and it sees a person running down a hill, it will turn itself into a hoop and it will then roll down the hill towards that person.
However, it may look as if the snakes are chasing people when a person startled the snake while in the wild or when it is sleeping. As the person finds the snake frightening, it is the same with the snake and they will both look for the fastest avenue to escape. If they both choose the same way to escape, it will look as if the snake is chasing its victim. This is the same when the person comes across the snake. The snake may continue on its way while the person turns to go the same route and it will look as if the snake is chasing that person. However, there are some kinds of snakes that may chase a human being actively, like the Central American bushmaster. This is a lethal and enormous venomous serpent that has been known for such behavior. Some snakes will not chase their victims, but they may wrap their bodies on themselves, hiss, lunge or strike at the people they think are attacking them. The outdoorsman and the frightened hiker may mistake such behavior as being chased by these snakes.
Learn more: Do snakes come out at night?
There are also two types of snakes called Agkistrodon and Pituophis that are aggressive to people, and they may look as if they are chasing them. Some also believe that the snakes will travel in pairs and when one is killed, the other one will look for revenge, which is not true.
For more information about whether snakes chase you, go to my Snake Removal - How to Get Rid of Snakes home page.