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wiggly not-rocks

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Kaljaia:
So Eastern Oregon had a mild winter in contrast to last year's, and apparently it was good for the snakes?
Two rattlesnakes in two days, plus a bull snake.
This is what I get for being active and productive and going outside after work! I don't kill them if I can avoid it, that's borrowing trouble from an otherwise shy snake. It's hard to tell but the bull snake was about twice the length of the rattlers and was found in the same area.





And also why I wear heavy leather redwing boots and long pants when hiking, no matter how hot it gets.

lithicbeads:

Nice snakes. While neither snakebite or hanta virus is likely to befall you hanta virus usually kills within 3 hours a horrible fate far worse than snakebite. Those snakes keep the transmission vector , rodents , down in population which makes plague( from fleas from rodents ) and hanta virus ( from rodent urine and feces) much less likely.Your about as likely to get hit by lightning as bit by a snake in your neck of the woods so keep your eyes and ears open .

hummingbirdstones:
Wow, those rattlers are scary!

We went on a club trip a couple of weeks ago to the Verde Valley.  I went and bought us snake gators for that trip because the snakes are out here, too.  Of course, because I did that we didn't see 1 snake, but it sure saved our legs from the cactus and cats claws.  I wasn't sorry we did see any snakes, either.   :icon_sunny:

Kaljaia:

--- Quote from: lithicbeads on May 05, 2018, 09:17:41 PM ---
Nice snakes. While neither snakebite or hanta virus is likely to befall you hanta virus usually kills within 3 hours a horrible fate far worse than snakebite. Those snakes keep the transmission vector , rodents , down in population which makes plague( from fleas from rodents ) and hanta virus ( from rodent urine and feces) much less likely.Your about as likely to get hit by lightning as bit by a snake in your neck of the woods so keep your eyes and ears open .

--- End quote ---

Yep, in this area you gotta pick up a rattlesnake for it to bite you, our particular breed of western pacific rattlers are very reluctant to bite and have tiny fangs. The bull snakes are much more aggressive in their mimicry attempts. Because of all the abandoned building work here twenty years ago, there was a lot of testing done for hanta virus and it all came up negative. Local folks periodically retest for it but so far, so good.

55fossil:
   There are two different types of rattle snakes in eastern Oregon. The pictures certainly look like two different breeds of rattle snakes.
    I see dozens of rattlesnakes each year in the Succor Creek area where I dig my jasper. Never had one try to bite me even though they have been within inches of my ankles. Got Gators myself but rarely wear them.  And I never kill a snake that does not try to bite me. Keep the friendly ones in the gene pool. Great photos.

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