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

[Drew]

I would recommend looking at the tree for reference in the video, the photo with the snake is deceiving. I would estimate the snake to be less than 10′ long. (still large for a Black Rat Snake). The bottom of the snake is at approx. the top of the wire fence, and the head of the snake is even with the edge of the garage roof. (approx 4′ between top of fence and bottom of roof.) There is a perspective problem with the photo with the snake deceiving the viewer. The tail coils back up the tree and around it once. 4′x2 + 2′ = approx. 10′

[Guest]

Where in the States, most Dr's have never studied or treated snakebites. 

 

Last I heard, the last anti-venom for massasaugas in Ontario expired a year or so back and they haven't replaced it.... ... so don't get bitten here.

[Drew]

Yeah, coral snake venom in the US expired in 2001, they keep extending it though, so stocks are still ok.

[Guest]

As for the Australian sitch, you can imagine...

 

Mr A: quick, quick, help, my son got bit by a 'roo...

Dr B: No worries cobber, we'll have him fixed up in no time, nurse, get me the anti-venom

Nurse: anti-venom?

Dr B: Yes quick, the kid got bit.

Nurse: umm we don't have any.

Dr B: we're out of kangaroo antivenom? ****, get on the phone to Sydney, pronto.

Nurse: Kangaroo? .. Antivenom?

Dr B: Oh er, right, we get people all day for snake bite, spider bites, scorpion stings, jellyfish stings, ray stings, platypus stings, but a kangaroo bite? Jeez, slap a bandaid on it mate, she'll be right.

Mr A: Ummm it might need stitches?

Dr B: Nurse, sutures! *looks" Oooh, that's nasty, sure it wasn't a shark?

[Drew]

Really if a population starts to lose the 'more-prone-to-rattle' trait do to those rattling specimens getting killed by humans, it is not much different than populations of elephants losing their tusks, due to the ones that have tusks being killed.

[Guest]

Heh, I had to check on that.

 

In other news, what if cats are learning how to fly?

 

 

Heck "flying" squirrels are meant to do around a 40 degree angle, that didn't look far off.

[bipedalist]

Re: rattlesnakes not rattling.....doesn't matter much where I've done most of my stomping, you have to constantly be on guard for copperheads anyway.  If you have to wait for a rattle to detect a rattler, you prob. shouldn't be playing woods and wildmen anyway. 

[Rockape]

^ Here we have Copperheads, Cotton Mouths, Coral Snakes and Rattlers, so yeah, you learn where to watch where you walk.