joint snake

plural joint snakes

1. A mythical creature of the southern United States, a snake that can reassemble itself when broken or cut into pieces.

   Nat knew, though he had never seen one, that there were such things as joint snakes and hoop snakes.

   1988, Harold Sinclair, American Years

   2 more examples

   The farmer, however, knowing the habits of joint snakes, had hidden one of the middle pieces in his pocket.

   1941, Arkansas: a guide to the state

   You take them joint snakes, now. That's not one of God's works. You hit one, he breaks into pieces, layin' on the ground like a broken icicle...

   2007, Gil Adamson, The Outlander