I almost stepped on this baby. We had a local guy die from a rattle snake bite just a few weeks ago, here in San Diego.

Click to see video

so much for walking around barefoot in sunny socal.

A woman has died after being bitten on the leg several tmes by a brown snake on her property on Queensland's Darling Downs. There's a lot of snake movement this Spring and no doubt Summer, I've seen enough lately to be wary more than ever.

"She's a bewdy", you guys have funny accents that's for sure.

Scarry Matt.

Be careful.

I've seen lots of gopher snakes and one king snake, but no rattlers, in the 10 yrs living at my place.

Thanks to that....

-j

It looks like a southern Pacific rattlesnake. I used to keep diamondbacks in Florida in my 20's -- I got tired of feedig them rats and they upset my first wife.

Are you going to keep this snake?

Best regards

Ed

I hadn't heard about that fatality in San Diego Matt. I Googled it and came up with the story here.

"He stopped breathing minutes after being bitten". "... a UCSD toxicologist believes rattlesnake venoms locally have evolved to become more toxic than in the past."

Wow. I was under the impression you had a couple hours to get to a hospital...

Edited November 4, 201015 yr by Mats

I hadn't heard about that fatality in San Diego Matt. I Googled it and came up with the story here.

"He stopped breathing minutes after being bitten". "... a UCSD toxicologist believes rattlesnake venoms locally have evolved to become more toxic than in the past."

Wow. I was under the impression you had a couple hours to get to a hospital...

Lead is pretty toxic too, especially when administered at a couple thousand feet per second.

Dangerous! In august, just after the rains, we heard from the caretaker of our santiniketan property that a small russell's viper had been found on the verandah. Ironically, it was the snake that had to be rescued as some some local tribals (called santhals) found out about its capture and would have eaten it for sure.

I believe you're right Ed, I've only seen Southern Pacific rattlers around my place.

funny,i never saw any rattle snakes in spring valley when i lived there. maybe they only live in the ghetto parts of SV.

Most of the new world pit vipers dont carry super toxic venom like what you find in India(old world vipers) and Australia(Elapids). Theres a few exceptions tho Mojave rattlesnake and eastern diamondback.

It also depends how envenomated you get --- a snake you killed and handling and has some reflexes is going to give both fangs and as much venom as he can deliver. Its like alcohol dose per weight --- a child 1/4 the size of man is probably going to be in serious trouble.

I read some thing by Bruse Means who got tagged in Jax salt marshes and he barely made it to the car to get to a hospital (before cell phones etc). Ross Allen ran a bunch of reptil farms and got tagged serious-- He was a big fellow but he still went into shock pretty quickly. the old movie the "deer hunter "--- its his hand that was used for the ratttle snake bit. He was a pretty reckless crazy stuntman also.

You usally do have a couple a few hours to get to the hospital but it is situational --- also its a foreign protein in your body so you can have a hypreallergenic reponse also (just like a bee sting)

Best regards,

Ed

Bad idea to keep them arond the house......unlike the Gopher Snake, this one might cause real problems.......besides, they do not eat as much as a gopher snake.