Bigtex Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Wow........thanks Cotter, I had heard they quit making the stuff, better leave the big guy alone if I ever see him again. Is that a species of Coral above? The big one I saw rose and flared like the one above, except higher and more flare. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotter Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Hi BT. I google image searched 'coral snake' and that was one of the pics. Didn't visit the website, just linked the pic. I didn't realize they did that. It would scare the bejeezus out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Had a break in the rain, and headed out today for a few hours. It was good to see water in some of the creeks, even though they weren't flowing. Very hot & muggy today, like a steam bath........here are two Teenfoot prints, that looked to be from the same individual, and located alone the same path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Thanks, Cotter,...for posting that photo of the coral All I can say is wow...seeing that flared neck. BT - I know y'all are glad to get that much rain - thanks for showing us the teenfoot prints Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Guys - I went back to look again at that picture and studied it this time and I'm having 2nd thoughts about it being a true coral snake - the head is shaped a little different IMO, and the contrast is not so good between the black band and what is suppose to be a yellow band...I think maybe it's one of the Milk Snakes- I may be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Bigtex - Today I had a chance meeting with a friend whom I've not seen in a year,...who, during our conversation, told me about himself & wife encountered a Coral Snake that was every bit of 5 feet long and as big around as a broom handle or more.....this in Montgomery County,Tx. Of course I told him about your encounter and your details. Life is strange.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Can't wait until some cooler hiking weather, it's still so hot 'n muggy! Yes HWM.......everything is bigger in Texas! Found some huge 'Bigfoot' prints, but not the usual kind.......there were other Bigfoot's stomping about once upon a time:) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 (edited) And one more crazy snake picture.......I did not take this, and the snake appears to be a Diamondback Rattlesnake. Bird-brain or collective thought? Edited September 22, 2014 by Bigtex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveedoe Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 what type / species of Bigfoot prints are those? 3 toes, Dino? Gator? Alfred Hitchcock "The Birds" feel sorry for that snake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 (edited) Those are dinosaur tracks in limestone, and fairly large.......a real life horror show if you were there the same day, and if you believe in the accuracy of carbon dating - I DON'T - then around 65 million years ago. To say that anything remains constant over a long period of time just doesn't make sense, including the rate of carbon-14 decay in the atmosphere. Edited September 22, 2014 by Bigtex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWWASAS Posted September 22, 2014 BFF Patron Share Posted September 22, 2014 How cool that is! Dino tracks too. Anything like egg fossils ever turn up? This area is so new from volcanism that you have to travel a long way to get to where the ground is even a million years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airdale Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Interesting discussion! The snake issue reminded me of an article I read several years ago while passing time in my Orthopaedist's waiting room, and a bit of surfing found it. It's an article in Natural History Magazine from 2000 (that means it was the two year follow-up check on my first hip replacement). It discusses changes that are being found in the venom mixtures of various rattlesnake populations, i.e. "Rattlesnake venom is not a simple poison. The snake’s venom glands, located at the rear of the upper jaw and connected by ducts to its pair of hollow fangs, produce a complex brew of toxic peptides, polypeptides, and enzymes. In the venom, these toxins are combined in differing proportions that vary throughout a species’ range and even during an individual snake’s lifetime. Rattlesnakes harbor so many biochemical mixtures for venom that toxinologists who analyze the stuff confront a range of variations rather than a standard formula for each species. Some of this variability seems to reflect recent changes in the venom of certain rattlesnakes, from the hemotoxic and proteolytic type (which affects blood and other tissues) to the neurotoxic type (which attacks the nervous system). The first type hasn’t changed into the second; rather, the proportion of neurotoxins in the mix appears to have increased in some areas of the country. Consequently, victims may now receive a significant dose of both types of poison from a single bite." Here is the link to the entire article: http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/master.html?http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/htmlsite/features/0700_feature.html At the end of the above article is a piece on best field procedures for treating snakebite which I am including here as I believe it has important information: How to Treat Snakebite By Steve Grenard Most of us grew up learning certain procedures for providing first aid in case of venomous snakebite. Remember the x-bite cuts on the two puncture wounds, sucking out the poison, applying a tight tourniquet? How about applying ice water, drinking whiskey, or even administering electric shock? All, it turns out, are not only useless as remedies but in most cases can actually make matters worse. A tourniquet must be released after ten to twenty minutes, not only because of the pain but also because the restriction of blood flow can cause death of the tissue around the bite and may result in gangrene. Constricting the blood flow also dams up the poison, so when the tourniquet is released, a surge of blood and fluid rushes to the heart. This blood is not only severely oxygen-depleted and laced with venom but also contains elevated levels of electrolytes (such as potassium) that can cause cardiac arrest. And cutting into the wound or attempting to suck out the poison simply doesn't work because the venom's toxins infiltrate tissue almost immediately following the bite and cannot be sucked out. The toxins can, however, be kept in the vicinity of the bite and temporarily restrained from entering the bloodstream. First aid do's include removing jewelry (or tight-fitting clothing) from the bitten limb, and keeping the limb as immobile as possible — preferably at or below heart level. If you are unable to reach a hospital within fifteen minutes after receiving a bite — and especially if you have neurological symptoms such as facial twitches and difficulty speaking or swallowing — wrap the site, if possible, with an Ace bandage, but only about as tightly as you would for a sprain. The gentle pressure will help delay spread of the venom over a broad area and the wrap can be tolerated much longer than a tourniquet without the danger of releasing a flood of toxins, which could be fatal. According to current thinking, the broad wrap is the best method for buying time to reach emergency care. While a properly applied broad-bandage wrap can intensify local damage by trapping the venom in place, it can also save the victim's life. So always carry an Ace wrap in your first-aid kit when venturing into rattlesnake country. The only sure cure for rattlesnake bite is treatment with the appropriate antivenom, which must be administered by medical professionals with access to the right equipment. Antivenom should be dispensed initially by slow intravenous drip; self-injection could be lethal. And only trained personnel can monitor the patient carefully enough to ensure that an allergic reaction does not occur, or if one does, that it can be immediately reversed. In addition, medical professionals can observe the progression of symptoms and increase or decrease antivenom dosages accordingly. The bottom line is that, after having applied the bandage wrap, one should not waste time with ineffective procedures. The quicker you get to a hospital emergency room, the better off you will be. See the American International Rattlesnake Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Prairie Rattler is the only sub-species of the Western Rattlesnake currently listed in Montana. In my experience, they tend to congregate in certain areas, usually with a water source in the vicinity, rather than being evenly distributed around the landscape. Maybe that is a result of our colder climate, or maybe I'm way off base as I'm not an expert. My operational doctrine regarding them has always been first, avoid specific areas where I know they are concentrated, absent some overriding necessity for being there. Second, when going to an area that appears to be likely habitat that I'm unfamiliar with, consult with locals. Third but no less important, keep your eyes open and don't be stupid. I've never found it necessary to dispatch one and it's not on my bucket list. That said, If I encountered one on our two acres (all we've ever seen are garter snakes around our very small creek) my first action would be to introduce it to several Hornady Critical Defense 9 m.m. projectiles. My second action would be driving into Helena to procure a Taurus Judge for my new outside carry piece. We have older pet cats, more importantly we have neighbors with toddlers and up. Nice young folks always ready to help out their arthritic neighbor with the cane, but by-and-large unfamiliar with how their world can turn upside down in a heartbeat and different thoughts about what it means to "Be Prepared". I couldn't leave a potential threat like that at large and sleep at night. And I'm not even going to bring my angel of a wife into it other than to say, she HATES snakes and is one of the better "natural" shots I've encountered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Most excellent info Airdale, and thanks for the post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airdale Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 My pleasure Tex. One hundred years ago this summer, my father, then aged ten, arrived in Helena from Webb City, MO, with his parents and siblings. He was born on the family farm in Seymour, MO on September 16, 1903. I recall him telling of taking a bucket to the pond back of the farmhouse to fetch wash water at 7 or 8 years old. He said there would be cotton mouths crawling around the opposite bank only 20 or so feet away, but he just kept an eye on them and never had a problem (though he sure didn't miss them after coming to Montana). In the summer of '70 I was attending Navy Avionics Class "A" School in Millington, TN. One of my classmates was married and upped for six years service to get his E-4 Crow and be allowed to live off base with his wife. They rented a small, older house at the edge of town. One morning he came into class and was obviously pretty hyped up about something so of course we gave him the third degree. Seems his wife was taking a shower when all of a sudden a moccasin started wriggling up out of the drain, which didn't have a strainer on it. She screamed and exited with alacrity clothed only, and only by chance, in the shower curtain, out through the bedroom and into the living room with the snake in her wake. My buddy was a country boy from the lonely prairies of rural Chicago and like all such with a modicum of self respect kept a loaded Stevens hammerless side-by-side 12 Ga. in the hall closet stoked, if memory serves, with #2 buckshot. The load met the snake's head midway across the living room carpet producing a ragged but substantial inspection window into the crawl space just about the same time that his wife, having transited the kitchen, came to a stop on the back porch. I've always figured that he exercised admirable restraint in discharging only the one barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Great story Airdale......easy to get a mental picture of that scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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