Rattlesnake! Rattlesnake!

[IronWing]

It was a two snake morning.

Meet the rock rattlesnake. About two feet long, this is the first rock rattler I've seen.

Black-tailed rattlesnake. It was grumpy.

 

[skyking]

nice pics.
I grew up in snake country, central Washington. Used to see them from horseback quite often. Horse is like "whatev, man". Snake is OMGWTF I am out of here!

 

[Pocatello]

Nuke the whole area from orbit, just to be sure.

 

[lxskllr]

I wouldn't like living near grumpy rattlesnakes. I'll keep my tree rats and bunnies, thanks.

 

[Markbnj]

Nice pics. That would give some herpers I know a stiffy.

 

[IronWing]

As we prepared to head out to a concert last night I noticed that two of the cats were intensely focused on something out on the patio. With cats, this generally indicates something gross. In the fading light I saw what I thought was a lizard but I decided to take a closer look.

Meet the variable sandsnake. This little guy is about six inched long (three inches visible in the photo). You're looking at the head end. The snake spends most of its life underground eating bugs and larvae. I think I chased off its prey as a wind scorpion hauled ass off the patio when I shined a flashlight on it. I first saw a variable sandsnake on the sidewalk down the block last summer but didn't have a camera with me then. This is the third snake we've spotted in our yard this year after a black rat snake and a little western diamondback. I think we're up to six species in the yard after previous sightings of coachwhip, gopher snake, and a coral snake.

Edit: I'm not sure why it is wearing a piece of bacon on its head.

 

[NuclearNed]

My first sighting of 2015 was this past Wednesday; a 5' blacksnake in my front yard

 

[Micrornd]

Walked into the living room 2 weeks ago and there was a 6' snake "standing up" against the sliding glass door, apparently looking for a way out.

Grabbed a broom and opened the door and of course the snake takes off away from the door, instead of towards it.
I eventually herded it out the door.

Was just a Black snake, but finding it in the house startled the crap out of me.

All I can figure is it came in a couple of days earlier when the wife left the sliding door open to carry several loads of stuff out to the patio.
I wonder where it was in those 2 days :hmm:

Haven't told the wife about it and don't intend to.
She's paranoid enough, since I told her about the 6" frog that jumped out of the toilet bowl. :whiste:
I've still got no idea how that got in their, since all the plumbing vents are screened.

 

[Ken g6]

As we prepared to head out to a concert last night I noticed that two of the cats were intensely focused on something out on the patio. With cats, this generally indicates something gross. In the fading light I saw what I thought was a lizard but I decided to take a closer look.

Meet the variable sandsnake. This little guy is about six inched long (three inches visible in the photo). You're looking at the head end. The snake spends most of its life underground eating bugs and larvae. I think I chased off its prey as a wind scorpion hauled ass off the patio when I shined a flashlight on it. I first saw a variable sandsnake on the sidewalk down the block last summer but didn't have a camera with me then. This is the third snake we've spotted in our yard this year after a black rat snake and a little western diamondback. I think we're up to six species in the yard after previous sightings of coachwhip, gartersnake, and a coral snake.

Edit: I'm not sure why it is wearing a piece of bacon on its head.

Wow, you should post that to Wikimedia! There are no pictures of the Variable Sandsnake there!

 

[DesiPower]

Grew up in Cobra country... during monsoon we would see atleast one every week, mostly 4 to 5 ft long... the whole neighborhood would come out and often capture kill... fun times.

 

[zinfamous]

that's awesome. Would you be willing to harvest and send me some tissue samples? specifically liver and gonads.

Thanks.

 

[TonyG]

I found a cottonmouth a few weekends ago, but haven't seen a rattlesnake in several years. I used to catch both prairie rattlers and diamond back rattlesnakes and even kept one for a while but ended up releasing it.

 

[IronWing]

It's been a few years since I've been back east but here's a cottonmouth from one trip.

 

[Woosta]

Expected:

 

[Red Squirrel]

Snakes are so cool, they're fun to pickup and play around with. I'm glad we don't have the poisonous ones here though.

Dat tongue.

 

[Iron Woode]

the only snakes I have seen are garter snakes. The only poisonous snake in Ontario is the Massasauga Rattler: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistrurus_catenatus

it is very rare and endangered here.

 

[Red Squirrel]

the only snakes I have seen are garter snakes. The only poisonous snake in Ontario is the Massasauga Rattler: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistrurus_catenatus

it is very rare and endangered here.

Yeah I've played with some garter snakes, they're kind of fun, and they smell funny. :awe:

 

[Ichinisan]

FYI:
Venomous != "poisonous"

/PSA