In the late evening usually between 8:30 and 9:30 pm, I go for a walk with the d.o.g. A few days ago, I started bringing a flashlight since I thought I might have seen a snake while walking a few days ago. Now, after just two days of walking with a flashlight, I saw this on the sidewalk right in front of me. I’m not a herpetologist, but to me, that looks like a young rattlesnake about to eat a small blue belly lizard. The picture was taken in the dark, on my extremely old Blackberry.
So here’s my question. If I’ve gone three years walking at night with no flashlight. How many of these have I walked right past with no problems at all? Sometimes, ignorance can be bliss.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | rattlesnake, snake and lizard, snake in the dark
In the west, rattle snakes don’t rattle much anymore. Used to be, if they rattled when a rancher came by, the rancher killed them. So now they don’t rattle and just hide out.
Dear Josh,
Welcome to our childhood.
Best,
Jeff, Dom, Matt, Andy, Charlie, and the rest of the dragon lizard catchers of the earliest EDH villages
P.S. we used to keep those lizards as pets. Warped? Nah, just clever(ish).
Jeff,
We had them as well where I grew up in Novato. Just not quite so many as I’ve encountered this year. In the five prior years I’ve been here, I’ve seen a total of five live rattlesnakes. This year, four. including two in my front yard, and this little guy getting ready for a late night snack. Luckily I have learned that my dog doesn’t like them much either. She hung back while I took this picture.
I can’t get that close to the picture but it does look like a tember rattlesnake and I am a herptologist.