Tag: Rattlesnakes

Can you spot the rattlesnake testing its new hiding place?

The western diamondback rattlesnake had blended almost perfectly into its surroundings near a Tucson home.

–In May we featured an image from Arizona as part of a quiz challenging readers to spot a camouflaged rattlesnake. Below is a repost for those interested in testing their spotting skills.

An Arizona company that relocates rattlesnakes reported by concerned residents has been busy dealing with snakes flushed by rain from more remote hiding spots.

Rattlesnake Solutions shared the accompanying image showing one such reptile: a western diamondback rattlesnake hiding in a new and “less ideal” spot near a Tucson home.

Can you spot the rattlesnake in the accompanying image? (Answer at the bottom of this post.)

Rattlesnake in hiding. Photo courtesy of Rattlesnake Solutions

It’s a difficult quiz for many because only a small part of the snake is visible. Dozens of followers chimed in on the Rattlesnake Solutions Facebook post.

A sampling:

– “Nope. I’d be dead.”

– “Wow! Best camouflage ever.”

– Took me about 5 minutes, that’s crazy camo.”

– “That was tough. Excellent camouflage.”

– “I finally found it.”

Rattlesnake Solutions waited hours before sharing the answer in a separate post. Click here to view that image, showing the snake circled in red.

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Phoenix homeowner ‘shocked’ when welcome mat starts rattling

In Arizona, where there are lots of rattlesnakes, welcome mats can be deceiving. Footage shows the snake being captured.

In Arizona, apparently, welcome mats can be deceiving.

From the Phoenix-based Rattlesnake Solutions, which relocates problem snakes back into wild areas, via Instagram:

“A homeowner got a shock when the welcome mat started rattling at her! Bryce went out to discover a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake hiding under it. You can see the lump here.”

Understandable comment: “New nightmare unlocked.”

The lump is visible in the image atop this post. Below is video footage showing Bryce carefully lifting the mat with plastic tongs and capturing the venomous snake for relocation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAHjookM06e/

 

Rarely seen ‘farting snake’ encountered in Arizona; video

Footage of the Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake shows that rattlesnakes are not alone in making distinctive sounds to ward off threats.

Rattlesnakes are not alone in making distinctive sounds when trying to ward off threats.

A Phoenix-based snake relocation expert on Saturday shared footage of a wild Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake making popping sounds as a defense mechanism. (See footage below.)

“A farting snake. Not kidding,” Bryan D. Hughes of Rattlesnake Solutions explained via X. “The Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake is one of two snakes in Arizona that expel air from the cloaca under force to make a sound that may be meant to avert predators.”

In the footage, Hughes repeatedly touches the snake he encountered, prompting several escape/fart responses.

According to Reptiles and Amphibians of Arizona, the Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake is mostly nocturnal and typically spends its days in burrows. Rare daytime encounters occur mostly in “cloudy or mild conditions” or after heavy rain.

The field guide added: “When threatened it exhibits several defensive behaviors including jerking the body from side to side, striking with mouth closed, and making a popping noise by forcefully everting the lining of the cloaca.”

Wikipedia elaborated: “During a laboratory experiment carried out by Bruce Young, a morphologist at Lafayette College, the snakes only farted when they felt threatened, and some farted so energetically that they lifted themselves off the ground.”

The Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake, also referred to as the Western hook-nosed snake, is nonvenomous and preys mostly on mostly on spiders and centipedes.

Watch: Rattlesnakes flee hail storm, return to sip melting ice

Trail cameras captured the rarely observed phenomenon at a rattlesnake rookery Monday in Northern Colorado.

Trail cameras monitoring a rattlesnake rookery in Colorado have captured footage showing several snakes slithering for cover in a hail storm, then emerging to drink from melting ice pellets.

Project RattleCam shared the accompanying footage Tuesday, explaining: “There was a brief hail storm at the rookery yesterday. The snakes fled, then drank the melting ice.”

The hail storm struck with the air temperature at 81 degrees, Project RattleCam explained via YouTube.

Viewers may note that as the storm strengthened, the snakes were quicker to seek shelter in the rocks. But they were just as quick to emerge to capture what water they could from the melting pellets.

Project RattleCam, a collaboration between scientists at Cal Poly, Central Coast Snake Services, and Dickinson College, focuses on prairie rattlesnakes in Northern Colorado.

However, a California Cam is expected to launch in July.

The group’s mission is to “uncover the secret lives of snakes.”

Can you spot (and ID) the rattlesnake in Tucson man’s yard?

A company that captures and relocates rattlesnakes described the quiz as being “very hard.” This type of rattlesnake is highly venomous.

Rattlesnakes are out and about in Arizona and some are more difficult to spot than others.

Can you spot the rattlesnake in the accompanying images? (Bonus points if you can ID the species.)

These were questions posed Monday to social-media followers of Rattlesnake Solutions, headquartered in Phoenix and Tucson.

“What did Dave find at this home near Tucson?” the company asked via Facebook. “This one is very hard. In fact, the first person to correctly identify it gets a free RS t-shirt.”

(The snake’s location is revealed at the bottom of this post.)

Spotting the snake is difficult, but identifying the species would seem impossible for anyone but an expert, given how well the snake is hiding.

However, a follower named Loren correctly identified the reptile as a Mojave rattlesnake soon after the post was published.

Many were stumped, including a follower named Jill, who commented: “I so wanted to say he found a Packrat’s nest in that yard, but I’m sure there’s a snake in there somewhere. Probably a Diamondback but my eyes just are not that good.”

Some spotted the snake and guessed western diamondback as the species, which is not surprising.

The Mojave rattlesnake is nicknamed “the Mojave Green” because of a greenish tinge that helps experts distinguish it from the western diamondback.

Rattlesnake Solutions states on its website:

“This snake has a reputation of being an overly dangerous snake, as it is quick to become defensive and has a powerful neurotoxin in many parts of its range. These snakes should always be avoided if seen.”

The Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument described the Mojave rattlesnake as “the most venomous snake found on the monument” and added:

“The venom, potent in neurotoxins that attack the nervous system and hemotoxins that attack the blood should make this snake high on anyone’s list to avoid.”

The rattlesnake relocated from Dave’s yard is circled above.

A rattlesnake that climbs trees; why that shouldn’t worry you

“No, this does not mean that they’ll now drop from branches into the yard or on your head,” one rattlesnake expert assured.

An Arizona company that relocates rattlesnakes captured near homes and businesses has shared an image showing a rattlesnake scaling a tree.

“Yes, rattlesnakes can and do climb trees when it suits them,” Rattlesnake Solutions stated Wednesday via Instagram.

Such a revelation might be alarming to folks who had previously thought they only had to watch their step.

But Rattlesnake Solutions attempted to alleviate concerns with the following bullet points:

–“No, this does not mean they can climb all surfaces, including smooth surfaces.”

–“No, this does not mean that they’ll now drop from branches into the yard or on your head.”

–“Yes, your uncle who tells the story about the ‘nest of rattlers that jumped in his boat’ is full of s**t.”

–“No, you do not now need to fear trees knowing this.”

The company explained that the northern blacktailed rattlesnake in the image scaled the tree after being released following its capture near a construction site in Cochise County.

“Upon release to carefully selected habitat, it fled … straight up,” Rattlesnake Solutions continued. “This species, in particular, may spend more time high in trees than is currently realized.”

–Image courtesy of Bryan D. Hughes / Rattlesnake Solutions

Watch: Agile snake ‘shows off skills’ on national monument wall

A brightly colored kingsnake was documented recently scaling a wall at Arizona’s Coronado National Monument, using the mortar between bricks as navigational routes.

A brightly colored kingsnake was documented recently scaling a wall at Arizona’s Coronado National Monument, using the mortar between bricks as navigational routes.

The National Park Service was impressed by the sharp angles formed by the snake and joked via Twitter: “If it runs into itself, game over.”

RELATED: ‘Astonishingly’ huge kingsnake encountered by conservation crew

In describing the footage the NPS continued: “This Sonoran Mountain kingsnake has only one game. Snake. And it’s pretty good at it. Here it shows off those skills, hey, no cheating, on the walls of the visitor center at Coronado National Monument in Arizona.”

Sonoran Mountain kingsnakes are constrictors that prey on small mammals, lizards and other snakes – including rattlesnakes.

They’re nonvenomous, but their coloration is similar to that of venomous coral snakes. It’s believed that this “mimicry” helps kingsnakes avoid predation.

Though kingsnakes are not venomous, the NPS advised caution, concluding: “Either way, if you come across a snake, keep your distance and don’t hiss it off.”

Can you spot (and identify) the venomous critter?

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources on Monday shared an image of one of the state’s venomous “critters” and asked Facebook followers if they could spot the animal.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources on Monday shared an image of one of the state’s venomous “critters” and asked Facebook followers if they could spot the animal.

“Bonus points if you can correctly identify the species,” the DNR stated, providing this hint:

“In Georgia, they can be found south of the Fall Line in the Coastal Plain. They are known to reach 78 inches (6.5 feet), and there are unsubstantiated reports of them growing to just over 8 feet.”

The post generated more than 300 comments. Many followers provided the correct answer with added commentary or advice, such as, “Watch your step” while hiking in Georgia’s woods.

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The DNR provided the answer atop the comments section.  CLICK HERE to view the answer.