Important Safety Message For Field Researchers: Rattlesnakes Losing Their Ability To Rattle

[Guest Darrell]

 

I have been an avid herper since I was around 5 years old.

  

Remember when we called you old SF guys "Snake Eaters"?

[Rockape]

 

There are other vids showing just how much pushing and prodding it takes to get a cottonmouth to actually bite.

 

Enough with the nonsense.

 

 

Probably the luckiest moment of my entire life was when I was around ten years old, barefoot and wearing cut off blue jean shorts, and I not only stepped on a moccasin but I stood on him for probably 30 or so seconds.

 

We were camping at a local lake (traditional family reunion thing every summer) and it was after dark when I went to get something from our tent. Everyone used tents back then and we had them set up in rows, so I had walked around away from the main camp/fire to get to the entrance. I was holding the flashlight under my arm while unzipping the tent when I could feel something under my bare foot that felt like it was moving (I can still feel that to this day when I think about it) I shined the light down and my foot was on the middle of a snake, he was slithering and trying to crawl away, I think I was lucky he was right under my arch, so my full weight wasn't on him and he felt like he could get away.

 

I screamed, tossed the light and ran like hell. The adults went to look and found a stick and said that was what I stepped on. I knew better but didn't know where the hell the snake had went. The next morning we were breaking camp I was inside the tent deflating the air mattresses we kids had slept on when I felt something soft underneath the tent floor. I looked and saw the perfect outline of a curled up snake. After more yelling and freaking out on my part my grandpa came in, saw the snake and put the old boot stomp on him. We pulled back the tent and sure enough there was a young moccasin. No one thought I had stepped on a stick the night before after that.

 

Since then I have had probably hundreds of encounters with moccasins what with hunting, fishing and my surveying job but can't say any were aggressive. They do like go give a loud hiss and show the white of their mouth though, so that can be intimidating.

 

For my money the most aggressive snake is a chicken snake. I've head pinned and picked up many a snake but never could with a chicken snake because they put up too much of a fight and will come after your ass if you keep at them. Even though I know they are not poisonous I don't jack with them. Every one I've ever encountered though was a big ******* that would still give you a nasty bite. I wonder if a lot of people don't mistake them for a moccasin which is where it gets it's reputation.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Rockape

[yowiie]

At least you guys get a warming, we don't have anything like that here in OZ.

[Drew]

In OZ you have the Death Adder, which is the main sit & wait snake.   These are the dangerous ones, because like rattlesnakes, they usually sit still, and wait for prey to walk by.  One advantage you have, is that most of your hospitals have someone on hand who is familiar with snakebite protocol.  Where in the States, most Dr's have never studied or treated snakebites. 

[yowiie]

Yeah, that's all well and good IF you can get to a hospital

[Incorrigible1]

I googled "chicken snake," and find it's a rat snake. Is that correct? They're not common, here, one has to go a little south, but I kept a black rat for three years, back in the eighties. He/she was simply beautiful, with red patterns shot thru the silky black exterior. He would not take anything other than live prey. Still, an active, efficient predator that is a vermin rodent's worst nightmare.

[Rockape]

Yeah Inc, I think they are a type of rat snake. Speaking of black rat snakes, I had a terrifying encounter with one when I was but a wee lad of around 7-8. I was playing around in a creek bed, skipping rocks in puddles and such when I heard a rustling noise beside me on the creek bank. This creek had banks on each side about 5-6 feet high, I remember I had to climb down to get to the creek. When I looked, crawling up the bank about 3 feet from me is what I now know was a black rat snake.

 

In my terrified young mind, the thing looked to be about 12 foot long and big around as a coffee can, but I'm sure my fright exaggerated it's size, especially since I now know they do not grow that big. Still, I know what I saw, even at that age, and that thing was big, I'd say at the top of their size range, I remember the head looked huge. I know it stretched from the creek bottom to the top of the bank. I think 7 or 8 foot is as big as they get and it had to be every bit of that.

 

I froze for a moment and commenced to screaming and trying to scramble up the opposite bank, but was not able to as I was in such a panic, I just knew it was going to eat me. My grandpa, who was nearby cutting switchcane for a fresh batch of fishing poles came running to my rescue. He was quite amused at my predicament, and the snake was gone by the time he got there. He never did believe it was as big as I said it was (which I'm sure it wasn't) but he did know something had scared the bejeezes out of me.

Edited September 20, 2013 by Rockape

[Drew]

Yeah, that's all well and good IF you can get to a hospital

 

Australia has the best Anti-venom program in the world.  They average two-deaths per year probably.

 

Papua New Guinea, now that is place you don't want to get tagged.

[WSA]

Yeah Inc, I think they are a type of rat snake. Speaking of black rat snakes, I had a terrifying encounter with one when I was but a wee lad of around 7-8. I was playing around in a creek bed, skipping rocks in puddles and such when I heard a rustling noise beside me on the creek bank. This creek had banks on each side about 5-6 feet high, I remember I had to climb down to get to the creek. When I looked, crawling up the bank about 3 feet from me is what I now know was a black rat snake.

 

In my terrified young mind, the thing looked to be about 12 foot long and big around as a coffee can, but I'm sure my fright exaggerated it's size, especially since I now know they do not grow that big. Still, I know what I saw, even at that age, and that thing was big, I'd say at the top of their size range, I remember the head looked huge. I know it stretched from the creek bottom to the top of the bank. I think 7 or 8 foot is as big as they get and it had to be every bit of that.

 

I froze for a moment and commenced to screaming and trying to scramble up the opposite bank, but was not able to as I was in such a panic, I just knew it was going to eat me. My grandpa, who was nearby cutting switchcane for a fresh batch of fishing poles came running to my rescue. He was quite amused at my predicament, and the snake was gone by the time he got there. He never did believe it was as big as I said it was (which I'm sure it wasn't) but he did know something had scared the bejeezes out of me.

 They get big, yes. Oncet I saw one  that was living in an abandoned Nash Rambler near an old quarry outside of Harper's Ferry. Thiis was back in 1980. When I rousted it from where it was sunning itself on the roof, it began to move down through the back window opening. At one point, it had its head under the front seat,  was extended out throught the back window opening, and was doubled over while the tip of its tail was still on the roof above the windshield. Absolutely immense.  I thought I would just go ahead and grab it by the tail. It was like grabbing a live wire. Big Daddy snake.

[Guest Rex]

I had one for a pet as a kid.. (Black Rat Snake) it was a large specimen when i caught it and it did grow even more  At the time it died i measured it at 9 feet 2 inches.

 

 i was told by F&G it was a state record but was not caught wild at that size.

 

I would feed him?.. all year round and he would take frozen as well as live.

 

Was a really cool snake.

[Rockape]

I did a google search of Black Rat snake and found this.

 

http://www.wistv.com/story/18590445/large-snake-slithering-through-columbia-neighborhood

 

 

So far, he's not had any luck, but, after looking at Philson's pictures, officials at the Department of Natural Resources say they're positive that it is a black rat snake.

Philson, however, believes it is some type of python. "I've seen a rat snake and they don't get that big," said Philson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm wondering if I wasn't right about the size of the snake I saw all those years ago. It made a distinct impression on me, and I remember it having a very large, squared head, much like the snake in these photos. I remember it being that long too. So maybe they do get as big as I thought that one was.

 

There are more photos at that link.

 

 

[Guest Rex]

Yup... thats a standard issue black rat snake.. it may be an intergrade between a black and a grey.. I have caught grey rats in GA that were 7 feet plus.. Id say that one in the pics is 8-9 feet.

 

Someone has a rat problem... not a snake problem..LOL

Here are some pics of BRS that i have had over the years.

Edited September 20, 2013 by Rex

[Guest]

What ? No more maracas. How about Tambourine or Cow Bell.

 

I Better buy some,  Turtleskin snake gaitors...

 

Once a hissing beer bottle in my back pocket scared me ! Thought it was a big Rattler.

searched for that thing for 10 straight minutes the more I searched the more hissing ..  DOH!

[Rockape]

Yup... thats a standard issue black rat snake.. it may be an intergrade between a black and a grey.. I have caught grey rats in GA that were 7 feet plus.. Id say that one in the pics is 8-9 feet.

 

They're saying that one is 15 to 20 foot.

 

I don't think it's that long, but it is wrapped around the tree about 2 feet? below it's head, plus we can't see all the tail.

 

Using that shed in the background for scale, which I'd say is 8 foot from ground to where the roof starts, it looks like it could be a 12 footer to me.

[Guest Rex]

no way.. the tree is only about 8-10 inches in dia.  thats about an 8-9 foot snake.. no more. The pic is deceiving because of the angle it is taken on with that shed back there.

 

IMO and expert opinion... the largest black rat snake alive MIGHT reach ten feet... most are gonna be dead at 8 or 9.

 

As I said i had one that broke 9 feet but died of old age.