Sunday I spent the day 4-wheeling on quads through the desert behind Saguaro Lake with my oldest brother, Aaron. As we were riding down a trail I just missed running this little guy over... He didn't seem too happy, so I couldn't get too close.
Here's my Photo of the Day (click to enlarge):
He was about 4-1/2 feet long and short a rattle...Is a rattlesnake still technically a rattlesnake if it doesn't have a rattle?
3 comments:
According to Wikipedia, "Adult snakes may lose their rattles on occasion, but more appear at each molting." So there you are. You're lucky you didn't get closer... It probably felt all exposed without it's rattle.
According the Discovery channel rattless rattlesnakes have become much more common because of over hunting. If they don't make any noise it is harder to find them to turn them into boots and purses.
Okay, I'm a little bothered to find out that there may be rattle snakes out there that don't make noise. I've never hiked in the AZ desert yet, but I'm not looking forward to walking up on an angry rattle snake because I've startled him and he can't use his rattle as a defense mechanism...hmmm, maybe he'll just use his fangs instead.
Post a Comment