Beware of SNAKES !

This was killed in a friends back yard in Thousand Oaks yesterday. With all the extra foliage the last few years it’s no wonder. Riders beware!

 

Crikies!!!

 

So sad. It didn't have to die.

 

Grill that sucker up! Tastes like chicken!

 

My favorite kind of snake - Dead!

 

I had BBQ rattlesnake once. Mot like chicken. A bit greasy and bland. A bit like crab in that you had to pick tiny pieces of meat out of those million tiny ribs.

That one was well fed. Probably not too many rats left around.

 

That thing probably survived on cats

 

Agreed. You don't want it in your back yard but animal control would probably re-locate it at no cost.

 

That sounds gross!
You gotta have Cletus and Bubba filet that sucker like a channel cat. Drop it in some peanut oil, slap Sadie on the ass and it's done. Leave some backbone attached so you can peel the meat off and leave the bone behind.
Make a baby toy out of the rattler and a cowboy hat-band from the skull and you're golden.

 

And here we have the many faces of IMTB encapsulated in back to back posts...

 

There are several privateers in my area (and probably most areas) that will relocate rattlers as well, for no charge. Never used one myself, but I understand they will typically make haste to get to you, as people typically want the snake gone quickly, and will call the Fire Department if it can't be done in short order. I'm constantly amazed how many stories pop up on Nextdoor of people calling the FD, and wasting their time to come kill a rattlesnake.

 

I happen to be one of the rescuers in my area. It's always better to save a life than it is to end one.

 

That's awesome! Good on ya.

 

Mike how old do you think this snake was?

 

Probably 15-20 years old. A major breeder for the area. A queen bee of the region.

 

Wow, I didn't realize rattle snakes lived that long. I was going to make a comment earlier based on size. I hate seeing a life taken needlessly, but particularly one that's an outlier that is probably making strong contributions to the gene pool. Like the trophy trout on a stringer.

 

make a nice hat band. I have not seen one this big in a very long time. Looks like it may be one of our Mutant type. Here they can get black with gray diamonds and a cream colored belly that looks like a sawtooth pattern when lying across your favorite trail. You cannot tell they are a rattler until you see the tail

 

In my extensive experience with rattlers, mostly our very local species, the Southern Pacific, I can say that they get darker with size and age. The five footers I have seen in the San Gabes and are nearly black, with a faint ghost pattern. Elsewhere, I have seen them up to about 3.5' and they too were fairly dark. They start out stunning with vivid contrast in the pattern shades but it would seem that their sun tan get's darker and darker as they grow and age. Remember that wrinkly old lady with a super dark tan in the movie "There's Something About Mary"?

 

New born:

 

3 footer

 

I hate for anything to die unnecessarily... But can I have the rattle?

 

You gonna use it as a trail bell?

 

Baby toy

 

We encountered 2 within 25 minutes this morning in Fontana right on the trails. We promptly decided NOPE.

 

I saw a humongous one near the entrance at Ridge Park once. It was a beautiful brownish orange color; what kind?

 

If that is in Orange County, then it was a Red Diamond Rattler. One of the prettiest species, for sure.

 

they always seem to be more pissed off too.

I have seen a Pacific in Huntington Beach, much to my surprise.

 

IME, the larger the rattler, the more pissed of it is, regardless of the species. The older they get, the wiser they get. As young, they are somewhat disconnected but with time, they learn what danger is.

Air temps play a part in it as well. Cool temps, cooler head. Hot temps, hotter head.

 

For our High Desert friends, here is your local rattler, the Mojave (green).