The eastern mud snake is harmless and does not bite even when handled. However, if you pick it up, it may press its pointed tail tip against your hand in an attempt to get you to turn it loose. This behavior gave rise to the marvelous myth of the 'hoop snake' with its poisonous tail. According to the tale, the snake grabs its tail in its mouth and, like a hoop or a bicycle tire, rolls downhill toward its unlucky victim. At the last minute, the snake releases its grip on its tail and straightens out like a javelin to hurl tail first into its victim. It is said that the only way a person can avoid this deadly skewering is to dodge behind a tree, into which the snake will drive its tail. So venomous is the tail that the tree promptly dies from the poison. The marvelous piece of cultural fiction is not well-known in Florida, possibly because Florida has very few hills that a hoop snake could roll down, but more probably because anyone familiar with the mud snake recognizes that it is probably the most innocuous large snake in the state.