Here is a creature feature with two distinct species of rattlesnakes.
First we start off with a green mojave rattlesnake with a Latin name of Crotalus scutulatus. I love his pit viper slit eyes and they are called pit vipers because of a heat sensing pit between the eye and the nostril. You can see the pit right above its mouth in this picture.
One of the cool features of this snake is its slight green coloring. They are also tan in color so the green can't really be used reliably to identify them. It is easier to study their patterns to identify them.
The striped lines near the rattle are a key identifying feature of a mojave.
The slit eye and large solid diamond pattern on the back is also a good identifier. These guys are one of the most poisonous snakes in North America and of the rattle snakes they are the most venomous. Unlike many rattlesnakes this one has a neurotoxin as well as hemotoxic venom which means the venom will attack both your neurosystem (paralysis) and it will rot your flesh (hemotoxin). Fortunately these guys have rattle to warn you of their presence. As a native Arizonan for many years I've found these numerous times and its easy to avoid them because they always warn you. They just don't want to be stepped on.
Here is another species called the black-tailed rattlesnake with a Latin name of Crotalus molossus. Sometimes these ones have a greenish hue like the mojave but these guys are smaller in size and have much different patterns.
Here you can see why they are called the black-tailed rattlesnake, their eyes are also darker compared to the mojave.
Also in contrast to the mojave the black-tailed rattlesnake is way less venomous. They only have a small amount of hemotoxin and are one of the least venomous rattlesnakes in North America. If you happen to get bitten by one of these it is easily treated. Fortunately they will warn you of their presence.
Rattlesnakes are a communal species, they often gather together in caves in large piles during the winter to keep warm. This is also where they do their mating snake dances and have a unique way of sensing pheromones to avoid inbreeding, so they can actually sense if they are related to each other.
Rattlesnakes are often feared because of their venom but there are way more dangerous snakes in North America compared to these guys. Rattlesnakes are very slow and that's why they have to warn you of their presence so they don't get stepped on by a buffalo, cow or human. Their method of hunting is to wait in the desert at night and use their heat sensing pits to see if a rodent hops by, then they strike within about a 20 inch radius to snag their prey. So if you stay a good three feet away from them you won't get bitten. Compared to the highly camouflaged copperhead snake that has no rattle these guys are easy to avoid. Copperheads will bite anything near them without warning.
That's all for now, thanks for looking :-)
is this snake dangerous?
Only if you get bitten, but they rattle their tails to warn you first before they bite. So if you hear the loud rattle then you can see where they are at and avoid them.
Oooh Thanks for the advice maybe I'll try to avoid the snakebite
People rarely die of this venom as they have antivenom treatments for it, it mostly just hurts a lot. Most people who get bitten are working in their garden pulling weeds and don't realize there is a snake in the grass when they pull the weed then they get bitten. There are snake bite kits you can use to pump the venom out of the bite before going to the hospital to get treated.
Have you ever seen someone who knows snake bites?
I know a few people who were bitten, they survived. I also know a guy who has these snakes and milks them for their venom to use as antivenom.
so snake venom can be used as medicine by itself
AGHHHH!
Which is worse the centipede or the rattlesnake?
The centipede was worse on your last post, snakes do me in though!
For me its just ticks and roaches.
Not a bad list!
How far were you from the snake when you took the picture
About three or four feet away is a safely out of their striking distance. Generally they won't strike until you are within a foot of them.
I am very afraid of snakes, that's why I asked that. I saw in the far distance was also a little scared
Yeah these are the ones that you should be afraid of as they are venomous. But it is their nature to not attack other than to defend themselves so you don't really need to worry about them unlike some larger giant jungle snakes like anacondas that would think you are prey.
Yes, my friend, I think it's like that too, but I don't know if I see a snake I'm just afraid, if I see other animals I'm not afraid, but it's normal. friends, may I ask for your Discord name, maybe there is something I want to learn from you.
If I see a snake I usually want to photograph it and then if I know its not poisonous I try and catch it, most are too fast to catch though. I forgot what my discord name is, I haven't used that platform in ages.
You are very brave with snakes. yes my friend understand you are not using that platform
wow, so scary how you are so brave to take pictures of snakes, I've always been afraid of snakes
I grew up in the desert around these snakes, they are old familiar friends. Once you know how they act and how to avoid them they aren't that scary. Though I have stepped over them a few times accidentally while hiking right as they let out their warning rattle that gave me a pump of adrenaline lol. They rattle loudly so as to warn you before biting so it is easy to avoid their bites. This is what they look like when they are warning you
Incredible, I just recently saw in the video you shared that he warns in such a manner, anyway I wouldn't dare go near him anyway. I salute you managed to record him and take good pictures.
Wow these are awesome pictures. My son loves herping and I've been on some late night road crawls with him in California looking for snakes :) I've never seen either of these rattlesnakes. My son has seen the Mohave in the Mohave (of course). Great quality photography as usual. I've impatiently waited for my son shooting a snake in the headlights on a rural highway in the middle of the night. I know quality shots take time and effort.
I would be keeping an eye out for sidewinders at night in the Mohave desert. If you go out there with a floodlight and look for their little eye horns sticking out of the sand suddenly you'll see them all over the place. Most of the places I've seen the Mojave Green rattlesnakes are up in the mountains, then in the valley I usually find the typical diamondbacks and black tails. Herping is quite fun out in the desert, there are all sorts of crazy lizards, turtles and snakes to find.
I like snakes, though I prefer to see them first... There aren't very many rattlers around here, they prefer the rocky areas.
You have any cottonmouths or copperheads over there? Those guys are a bit more tricky to deal with since they don't warn you of their presence.
We had a copperhead here, the only time we've ever seen one here or heard of one here in May 2014.
Hmm that one looks like a northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) to me, usually copperheads have a skinnier neck right behind the head and I'm not seeing its pit viper heat sensor in between the eye and nostril. I can't tell if it has a vertical slit in its eye pupil which is usually the tried and true way of figuring out if a snake is venomous. The nonvenomous northern watersnake is often confused with a copperhead because they have similar coloring in some species.
It was confirmed by a person in the Wildlife dept here in Mass. We do have a water snake here, but we could easily tell the difference.
Fortunately it was a rare sighting, some places have loads of copperheads where you have to wear tall boots in the grass for fear of them striking your ankles. What region are you in again? Here's a pretty good guide on copperhead lookalikes https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/venomous-look-a-likes/copperhead-look-a-likes/copperhead.html
Western Mass
We appreciate your work and your post has been manually curated by zoology team (oscurity,nelinoeva) on behalf of Amazing Nature Community. Keep up the good work!
Thanks @oscurity and @nelinoeva :-) I have a few more creatures to feature next week.
there is a photo where we can see the membrane that protects the eyes!
We appreciate your work and your post was manually curated by @none! from the DNA team!
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Thanks :-) I believe in the black tailed rattlesnake you can see its eye membrane. The eye also was looking a bit dull indicating it might be ready for a molt soon.