Diamondbacks are NOT a girl's best friend

The first Spring after moving into my house I became acquainted, most reluctantly, with one of my 'neighbors' in an early afternoon encounter. I was busily doing laundry upstairs, windows and doors flung open, enjoying the perfect Texas weather. I soon heard both of my dogs barking and didn't think much of it. After a few minutes of this incessant noise-making I stepped outside to quiet them and perhaps catch sight of what they were so focused at. A squirrel, a lizard, a perched buzzard, I thought. As I gave a 'What's going on out there you two? Hush!" they ceased their distressed 'woofs' and I then could clearly make out the unmistakable buzzing sound. I flung myself frantically down the stairs and immediately called the dogs inside with a stern parental voice. Once they were safely inside I walked, in shorts and flip flops no less, casually over to the offended neighbor, "Ok, Mr. Snake, that's much too close. Where are you?" I scrutinized the area where the dogs were a few times. Nothing. I moved a little closer. My eyes scanned the area at least three or four times before I saw him. I then met the gaze of the biggest rattlesnake I have ever seen. My heart jumped. It didn't look real, it was so enormous. I then uttered something that isn't appropriate for all readers. One can imagine.
He was rattling and hissing and coiled and, well, pissed off! He was also much too close to my front porch, to my dogs. I was about to kill a rattlesnake. It wasn't the first one I had killed, there had been two before. But they were smaller. And not quite so evil looking.
Now, anyone that knows me, knows that I am an animal lover and have a very healthy respect for all creatures. Even the ones that scare us and can harm us. I lived several years in Grizzly country for goodness sakes! However, the thought of having this prehistoric looking, venom laden reptile slithering around my house where my dogs nap was not an image I was ok with. If I had seen him on the road, or at the creek, anywhere but 15 feet from my front porch, I would have let him quietly pass. But he wasn't. So...he died. He turned out to be just under 6 feet long. Yikes!
With that said, as a child, visiting Rockmoor I never saw a rattlesnake, or any snake for that matter. I only remember the mason jar full of rattles at the farmhouse that came from the unfortunate victims of Uncle Dee's shotgun no doubt. But when I was younger I didn't know where to look. Now I do. And I see them all the time. Are you getting creeped out yet?
Texas has ten different species of rattlesnakes, more than any other state, except for Arizona. The Western Diamondback rattlesnake is the most common in these parts and chances are if you've seen a rattlesnake at the ranch it was the Western Diamondback. The Crotalus Atrox, as it is scientifically known, falls in the family of 'pit viper'. These are distinguished by their triangular head and small pits under their catlike eye pupils. Pit vipers are usually characteristically thick bodied with short hollow fangs that lie flat in the upper jaw but swing down when the snake opens the mouth to inject venom in prey. The distinctive diamond pattern of the Western Diamondback runs the length of the snakes body serving as a very effective camouflage. Of course, the tell-'tail' (pun intended) is the set of rattles at the base of the snake's spine. These rattles are made up of keratin, the same stuff that makes up fingernails in humans. In prime conditions, snakes shed their skins every 6-12 weeks and each time adding a 'button' to the base of their rattles. This, in turn, replaces the terminal sections that periodically break off. It has been calculated that the rattles cycle between 40-60 times a second when the snake has them in use. This speed produces the high buzzing sound that is so eerily familiar. Once you hear it, you'll never forget it.
At this time of the year, rattlesnakes are most active during the day (April and May) when milder temperatures prevail. However, June through August, rattlesnakes put an end to their diurnal (daytime) activities and seek shelter in the oppressive heat of the day. During these months you are more likely to see a rattlesnake early morning or evening. Just about the time you're taking a walk around the ranch. How convenient.
In Texas, breeding takes place in both Spring and Fall when numbers of diamondbacks are found in close proximity. The female gives birth to about 10-20 young, all born alive. They don't hatch from an egg, which is a commonly held belief. These young snakes leave the mother almost immediately, within hours, and are born with one button at their tail and are fully capable of administering a venomous bite. Many people believe that the bite of a juvenile snake is more venomous because the younger snake does not have as much control over the flow of venom. Makes sense to me, but I can't find the scientific proof to back that up. And I have no intention of testing that theory out. These babies will average 3-4 feet in length when they mature, however there are documented reports of some closer to 8 feet long.
Rattlesnakes aren't aggressive in the sense that they 'will come after you or drop from a tree and attack a person'. In fact, rattlesnakes are poor climbers and one almost never sees them in trees. They favor the rocky slopes and outcroppings. And they won't attack unless they feel threatened or are suddenly surprised. I've gazed for long periods of time up close at a rattlesnake and he didn't seem to mind. But as soon as I got a little too close for comfort he quickly coiled up ready to defend. And be careful around a fully coiled rattlesnake for they are able to strike at a distance equal to half their body length. Of course, common sense goes a long way. NEVER put your hands or feet somewhere that you can't see.
I heard an amusing statistic in my Wilderness First Responder first-aid class once that I always thought was funny. "90% of all snake bites occur in the middle of the day, involving a 20 something male, intoxicated, in the presence of a female." Who knows if that's true, but fellas, don't try and impress the ladies with your snake charmer abilities. Never try and handle a rattlesnake. They may not be aggressive, but they are highly defensive.
And what do you do in the extremely unlikely case that you get bit by a rattlesnake? Go to the hospital fool!! Don't try any fancy tourniquets or incisions to try and suck the poison out, you will likely do far more damage that way. Get medical attention as soon as you can. You need to be administered antivenom. It is highly, highly unlikely that you will die. Most deaths with rattlesnakes involve very small children, very elderly or ill people. And those cases involved individuals who were many hours away from definitive care. (Seton Southwest off 290 is approximately 12 minutes away from the ranch-fyi)
The venom of a rattlesnake contains both neurotoxically active peptide components and a larger complement of enzymatic fractions that destroy blood and tissue. It is a hemotoxin (toxic to the blood) and can work as an anticoagulant. Interestingly, rattlesnakes are not immune to their own venom and can kill another rattlesnake if it is bitten.
Rattlesnakes have few natural predators so they tend to flourish in numbers. Birds of prey, such as hawks or owls, have been known to swoop down on a rattlesnake and make a meal, but it is not a common occurrence. On the other hand, rattlesnakes feed on rodents, frogs, lizards, small birds, and even small rabbits and squirrels. They often don't need to eat but once every two to three weeks and their annual water intake equals roughly their body weight.
There are two snakes in this area that are often mistaken for a rattlesnake, thus, inadvertently, killed because they are thought to be venomous. The Rat snake and the Bull snake are often confused for a rattlesnake due to their similar skin patterns. And to create even more confusion both of these snakes, when stressed, tend to vibrate their tail, giving the impression of their venomous counterpart. Yet, they do not have rattles. Even though both of these snakes has the ability to bite, they are not poisonous. I see Rat snakes fairly often around the ranch. This is a good thing because they help control the rodent population. When I hear the argument that we need rattlesnakes to keep the mice and rats in check, I remind them that there are other, non-poisonous, alternatives. A few years back I started noticing signs of a mouse (or mice) in my house. I often, quite often, keep my door open in nice weather and much to my surprise, or shock I should say, I found a rat snake piled up behind a framed picture in my kitchen. Finding a snake in one's house is never a pleasant experience and not one I care to repeat. However...after the shock wore off and a few days passed I noticed that the mice 'problem' disappeared. I think that 'ol Rat snake sensed food and saw an open door and just made himself at home. (like the mouse, I guess) And then slept off his meal in my kitchen. And much better to have a Rat snake in the house than a rattler. And even better to not have either!!
So not all snakes are 'bad' snakes. In fact, most are good and shouldn't' be killed just because it's a snake. And if you do happen upon a rattlesnake at the ranch, just give it a wide berth and don't make it feel threatened. It doesn't want to be around you anymore than you want to be around it, trust me.
Now that I've completely made everyone paranoid, I promise my next entry will be on something a little more harmless.

Till then,

Sssssssally Anne