Rattlesnakes are Awesome Moms!

[Bogertophis]

Video & more from ASP-Changing how people view and treat snakes-

https://www.snakes.ngo/moms/?link_id...awesome-moms-_


(Happy Mother's Day, one & all!)

[Nutriaitch]

I really want to see a Rattler in the wild (not exactly up close, obviously)

in my teenage years we would occasionally see small Timber Rattlesnakes, but those were pretty rare.
now I live right in prime Western Diamondback range.
we're also right around the edge of the ranges of a few other species:
Mojave
Prairie
Blacktail
Banded Rock


I'm not exactly wanting to go looking for them though since I'm not readily familiar with what to look for if it doesn't give me a warning rattle.

back home we have a ridiculous abundance of Water Moccasins (cottonmouth) and Copperheads.
I grew up in the woods and marshes so I knew what to look, listen, and even smell for.
So it was extremely rare for me to "sneak up" on one accidentally. I usually knew before I saw it that it was there. Or at least in the case of copperheads, I knew I was in a perfect territory and really looked for them.

[Bogertophis]

I really want to see a Rattler in the wild (not exactly up close, obviously)......
I'm not exactly wanting to go looking for them though since I'm not readily familiar with what to look for if it doesn't give me a warning rattle.....

Rattlesnakes blend in with their surroundings very well- certain kinds (like speckled rattlesnakes) love to hide in rock crevices, whereas Mojave rattlesnakes have dull green coloration that blends with desert plants, & they can be found lying in any little shadow they can find (for relief from the heat of the sun), or if they smell water, they'll sit under a dripping hose faucet...they're not so particular. And rattlesnakes don't always rattle, so watch where you put your feet & hands. It's not safe to just step over a fallen log (or cactus), because a rattlesnake may be in the shade of that log on the other side. Instead, step up on top, then take a leap beyond (after looking where you're going, of course). If you're rock climbing & sticking your fingers in rock crevices, you're just wrong... If you do see one, keep in mind that you can out-WALK them, so no need to run. They're ambush predators, & mostly they just hold their ground- they don't have speed (other than their strike) so staying out of reach is what matters.