During my nearly 45+ years of geologic mapping and associated fossil collecting, especially in the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California just north of Los Angeles, I have been always been acutely aware that rattlesnakes are a constant hazard.
My sightings of rattlesnakes during my field work have been “uncommon.” This post focuses on some of the rattlesnakes that I encountered and photographed.
All of the following images, except the two are Crotalus atrox, the Southern Pacific rattlesnake. Most of these snakes that I have encountered were about two feet long (estimated), have a reddish gray "diamondback" pattern along their backbone, and have two grayish stripes on their cheeks.
IMAGE 1: On a road, 4 pm, cool and windy, May 30, 2011.
IMAGE 2: On a hiking trail, 10 am, warm, April 4, 2008.
IMAGE 3: Off-trail in a very remote area, warm, October 1, 2006. The visible part of the "Jacob Staff" (a measuring stick) is about 6 inches in length.
IMAGE 4: On a road, moderately warm, 9:30 am.
IMAGE 5: On a road 4 pm, August 2011. This snake is the longest rattlesnake (about 4 feet long) that I have ever seen (about 4 feet long) in the field. I identify it as Crotalus helleri, which has many snynonyms, including C. oreganus helleri, and C. viridis helleri. It is black with some white or yellow small spots (dots) aligned in widely spaced rows. The venom of this snake is highly toxic to humans and occasionally fatal.
IMAGES 6 and 7: Hiking trail with a steep dropoff just to the left, June 8, 2011, warm, 10 am. The snake is hidden in the black “hole” in the grass. The next image is a closeup of the black “hole.” I was never able to see the snake very well. It was black, and it might have been another Crotalus helleri.
The last two images bring to mind a very important lesson: NEVER WALK SIDE-BY-SIDE with another person when in the field. Always walk in a single-file. If you were walking side-by-side with someone situation like this one, it is likely that one of you would be walking in the grass. That person would have most certainly stepped on the snake.
No comments:
Post a Comment