Is this baby snake coiled up outside a gopher snake or a rattler?

[DD_BobK]

Yes... I met my first set of rattlesnakes in the eastern foothills of OC in the 60's. I know exactly what they look like and I have no desire to "visit" them up close in the real world.

[DD_BobK]

Wanna do the experiment & let us know your findings?

[Danny D]

I think it was a "northern pacific rattlesnake" since that's the key rattler common to the Santa Cruz mountains.

It's apparently not pretty getting bitten by one:

[DD_BobK]

It's apparently not pretty getting bitten by one:

Did you think I was joking? And you still want to play around with one?

Can you even imagine the pain, inconvenience & cost of such an injury?

[Danny D]

Just to be clear, I have no intention of 'playing' with a rattler. My only goal was to identify it, capture it, and relocate it. Safely.

[Danny D]

I was embarrassed for the people who posted that video, but, it *was* interesting to see the headless snake make that all-too-familiar sudden lunge toward the people tugging on the tail at the 1:14 time point.

That's great reflexes!

[Shadow]

Bloody cannibal .... []'s

[Danny D]

They identified it as a young Northern Pacific Rattlesnake by numerous PhDs in the field. All concurred.

[Danny D]

Here's a better description based only on the photo:

Andrew Gluesenkamp, Ph.D. You can tell that it is a rattler (Northern Pacific rattlesnake) by the head shape ("chunky" with steep vertical surfaces);dark/light band through the eye; stout body; pronounced, keeled scales that are not shiny; and dorsal color pattern made up of dark-margined blotches on a lighter background. These snakes are essentially sit-and-wait predators that seek out good places to ambush prey (fallen trees, rock ledges, walls, etc).

[Danny D]

I think my little baby northern pacific rattlesnake was only interested in getting away from me. Sort of like what Bob is always trying to do! :)

BTW, here's another article on relocation; this one doesn't paint such a bright prospect, but, I think most people think of relocation as greater than 500 yards.

[Danny D]

It would scare the daylights out of any kid!

Turns out, two of my neighbors spent time in the hospital recently due to snake bites, both reputedly from Northern Pacific Rattlers (which are apparently the only rattler that frequents these hills).

I spoke to both by phone this week because they had written back on our neighborhood alias that the snake was the same species that bit them.

So, within two miles of my house, two people in the past four years have been bitten by rattlers; and that's just the ones who responded within the neighborhood alias.

Wow. It's more prevalent than I had thought. Always a lesson to be learned.

PS: Maybe I flushed him out when I cleaned up all the animal dens when I cleared out the brush just fifty feet away from where he was found?

[Danny D]

Well, I don't know the age. Babies are apparently born in October, so, it was at least 6 months old. I "assumed" it was a juvenile based on the tiny rattle; but I could (easily) be wrong.

[Danny D]

Understood.

Apparently the Northern Pacific rattler is an ambush predator, where the young predate on lizards while the adults enjoy the mammals and quail (of which I have plenty of bunnies, rats/mice, and assorted gophers for them to dine upon).

[Danny D.]

I know. They add buttons when they molt, which can be multiple times per year; and, more importantly, they lose 'em from time to time.

Anyway, it wasn't all that big.

I didn't bother to measure it, but let's say it was only about 15 inches to 20-something inches, and only about an inch thick or so (again, I didn't even attempt to measure it).

I've seen muuuuch larger ones out here; so, I still *think* it was young; but I really have no clue so I probably shouldn't have called it a 'baby'. Juvenile might be more appropriate - or - a skinny short adult. :) Let's hope it doesn't remember from whence it came!

[DD_BobK]

You & I have vastly different definations of "play around"

I'm meaning unnecessary proximity... high risk / low reward.

Take another look at the injury photos, couple that with probability of getting bit and circumstances / behaviors that lead to bites.

[Danny D]

Given the snake existed, essentially on the front steps: What would your proposal have been?

a. Would you propose I simply leave it on my front steps? b. Or I shoo it away onto the front lawn? c. Or, maybe I chop the head off with a shovel? d. Or perhaps I call the snake-be-gone guy to remove it? e. Or that I capture it & relocate it?

Note: To be fair, I went back to all your posts in this thread, to double check what you had suggested - and you did suggest being careful - and you were one of the first to confirm the viper status; and, you did provide that nice relocation URL of Dr. Steen who has had a few conversations with me, and who asked for the photo and who published it and answered some of my questions both online and by phone.

Given all that, and given the snake existed, I'm not exactly sure what *you* would have done had that snake been on your porch other than you wouldn't "unnecessarily play around with it".

[gfretwell]

I think the snake would get one chance to get into a bucket or trash can laid on it's side (to get relocated). If it got a little cranky I would give it a few loads of rat shot.

[JoeBro]

Danny D wrote in news:konm1j$c1s$ [e-mail]:

Just pick it up and bite it's head off. Be a man. Post a photo of it's head in you mouth.

[DD_BobK]

+1

[DD_BobK]

Ya see DADD..... the details come out is dribs & drabs. You're on scene, you have access to all the details available at any point in time.

The NG readers must depend on you for information hence the propensity for some to claim "hiding the football".

Based on your previous displays of "problem solving" .... this current episode looked like the initial conditions for a major disaster.