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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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No rattler, but cool. (Couldn't see the squirrel either, but it stands a fair chance of protecting a nest.)
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Glad Gavin is Ok. Thanks for posting
Stuck my hand in an FA possibility crack in a giant boulder in wawona once and a big rattler slithered out of the crack right at my feet. I turned around to gtfout and found there were a few rattlers in the gully blocking the way out. I got out by plan b with some scrambling.
Another time we just finished some epic off-route adventure next to Bridalveil and were happy to be alive when I stepped right over a rattler on the way to the gunsight. My buddy was behind me and I warned him as I saw the snake after I stepped over him. My Buddy said it's usually the second person that gets bit as the first person alerts the snake who is more ready to bite #2 guy
peace
Karl
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Stzzo, I was wondering if mongooses are allowed in California. If so put one on a leash when out walking, otherwise get some king-snakes to hang around you, they love munching on rattlers. I didn't know gopher snakes would eat rattlers. EDIT, apparently they do not.
Carry a spare squirrel to keep them occupied.
Stahlbro, LOL
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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looks like you're recovering fairly quickly, gav, and i'm guessing you didn't get a huge dose from that finger bite. i second the suggestion that you write up a good story--might as well make the best of it.
yea, maybe the NPS needs to rethink its bearboxes. bearbox users certainly need to be aware.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Thanks axlgrease. When I first saw it, I just looked. Not knowing anything about snakes it didn't even occur to me to figure out what type of snake it was. Then when the squirrel was really harassing it, I heard it rattle. No doubt.
I told BN that it was a rattle snake and he said no way. A crowd starts gathering and everyone is poo-pooing my calling it a rattler. Then they all heard it rattle.
Now everyone was telling everyone else about the rattle snake!
So, do other types of snakes rattle? I saw a photo of a "Colorado Side Winder" on the web. I think it had a rattle.
And sorry to hijack. :) Really glad Gav is recovering well. What an awful event.
Edit:
Edit: Just read that the Bullsnakes can also make a hissing sound that is remarkably like a rattlesnake's rattle...
Maybe that is what it was.
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axlgrease
Mountain climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Crimpie-
So, do other types of snakes rattle? I saw a photo of a "Colorado Side Winder" on the web. I think it had a rattle.
Sidewinders are a species of rattlesnake, so yes, they'll have a rattle. I'm not positive, but I expect that other snakes rattle their tails as well, even if they don't have the classic "rattle" at the end. Our Corn snakes to it, I've seen other Rat snakes do it, and I've seen the Gopher snakes do it.
Rattlesnakes are pit vipers, characterized by a pair of heat-sensing pit organs on their head between the eye and the nostril. They enable the snake to "see" in the dark, but they also use them in the daylight as well. With the two sensing methods - visual and infrared (heat) - they can readily distinguish between a cold stick and a live, warm hand nearby. They are also very attuned to nearby motion. I suspect the combination helped provoke Gavin's bite.
The pictures and description of his snake lead me to believe this was a fairly young one. Our young Corn snakes tend to be really skittish, rattling and striking a lot more readily than adults. I suspect that also contributed to Gavin's unfortunate encounter.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Great info Axlgrease! Thanks!
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Ditto on the bullsnake call that Axelgrease made. In Colo they look a lot like Western Diamondback Rattlers. I've never heard the rattle they make but I know that they do that. When one rears up it sends chills up your spine. The head shape is the giveaway, and your second pic is clearly NOT a rattler and clearly a bullsnake. Some of Gods more honest creatures reducing rodents and we should be supportive of them any chance we get IMO.
Nice pictures Crimper!
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Characteristics of Pit Vipers (Rattlesnakes, Cottonmouth, Copperhead) include:
*Triangular/diamond shaped head
*Retractable fangs
*Heat sensing organ below eye ('pit')
*Vertical pupil
That doesn't look like a rattler. Check out the shape of the head, and pupil.
Still kinda weird seein' em in a pine tree like that.
Edit: Ooops...scanned right past axl's post...
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Like I said, not a rattler.
Pituophis melanoleucus will sometimes rapidly vibrate their tails against dried leaves or bark to simulate the sound of a rattle.
What you have is a gopher snake, friend of man.
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Gopher snakes can do a pretty good rattler impersonation with their tail and posturing. Part of their standard defense strategies. I've seen them do it a few times. I assume Bull snakes do the same. Love to seem them in trees. Nice pic's Crimpy.
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henny
Social climber
The Past
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Glad you're doing OK Gav, hope there are no ill side effects over time.
Having seen a gopher snake up close that was doing the buzztail impersonation amid some dry leaves - they can do a pretty darn good job of it.
The funniest part of the encounter was one of our cats, which was cautiously, with extreme focus, circling the snake. Unable to resist I took a stick, reached around behind the cat, and tapped it on the rear. The cat went straight up in the air so high that it and I could have looked each other in the eyes. I did feel kind of bad afterwards for giving the cat a scare like that.
Had a friend that got bit by a small rattler a couple of weeks ago. He left the passenger door on his car open for a few hours, got in on the drivers side, reached down to pick up his hat off the passenger side floorboard, and got bit on the index finger by a foot long rattler. Seems the snake had crawled into the car via the open door. Luckily the snake did not inject.
Very cool pictures of the snakes in the trees.
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zBrown
Ice climber
mercenario de merced
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Luckily for us, there are no Black Mambas in the U.S. (best dumbass Obama joke and/or picture gets a free vacation trip to KKK convention).
black mambas will kill a dog or several dogs if threatened and it happens quite often. We also find dead cows and horses! We were called by the frantic family late one evening. When we arrived minutes later, two small dogs had already died and two more were showing severe symptoms of envenomation. Within 15 minutes we had found and bagged the snake. By this time the other two dogs were also dead. The snake must have been moving through the garden when it was attacked by the dogs. It would have struck out defensively, biting all the dogs that came within reach. The snake was bitten in several places on its body as well and died about a week later
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jun 11, 2012 - 07:00pm PT
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Hey Gav, how's the healing? Come to Ireland, we have no snakes, except the human kind.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Jun 11, 2012 - 07:05pm PT
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Yes, hoping Gavin is doing well. And also very happy we don't have Black Mamba in the US.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
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Jun 11, 2012 - 07:41pm PT
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Our neighbor's dog out in JT got bit by a rattler about a month ago. They got her to the vet quickly and she's doing fine but from what our neighbors say there's a lot more rattlers out here in JT this summer. Apparently there's a bad case a mange going through the coyote population so they have less predators.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jun 12, 2012 - 06:58am PT
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Flouride, perhaps I should know, but I didn't think rattlers were high up the list on the coyote's cuisine menu.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Jun 12, 2012 - 08:11am PT
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Nice one fattrad...
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Jun 12, 2012 - 08:50am PT
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fattrad's pet is the reason bees got so africanized. but it looks like the dummy ate the venom glands and keeled over.
now that mamba is something else--kinda like squirrels--ya may hate 'em, but ya can't help but admire 'em.
"i'm killin' 'em, but i'm respectin' 'em." -- john wayne in the alamo.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Jun 12, 2012 - 10:03am PT
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Flouride said : Apparently there's a bad case a mange going through the coyote population so they have less predators.
Wow, long way away but 2 weeks back I saw the mangiest/skinniest coyote I'd ever seen. Took my mom out bird watching in SW Washington. Shes 91, grew up on a farm, hiked in her later years and seen more coyotes than 99percent of the rest of us and she said it was the worst looking one she'd ever seen as well. We got a real close look, it being @ 12 feet away at the time.
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