Rattlesnakes: Myths

Summary: There are so many myths about rattlesnakes. Join Kiersten as she dispels some of these harmful myths.

 

For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean

 

Show Notes:

America’s Snake: The Rise and Fall of the Timber Rattlesnake by Ted Levin

“Coexisting with Rattlesnakes” by Bryan Hughes. Live lecture through Desert Rivers Audubon. www.desertriversaudubon.org

 

Music written and performed by Katherine Camp

 

Transcript 

(Piano music plays)

Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.

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Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 

This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.

This episode continues rattlesnakes and the fourth thing I like about rattlesnakes is dispelling myths about them. There are so many myths about this misunderstood creature and we’re going to talk about some of them today.

Myth #1: Rattlesnakes are aggressive!

This is not true. Rattlesnakes will avoid confrontation at all costs. They do not want to strike at anything except prey or a threat that will not leave them alone. It costs them a lot of energy to strike and even more energy to bite and inject venom. That venom is very important to catching and digesting prey, so they certainly do not want to waste it.

These snakes appear aggressive because we humans can’t seem to leave them alone. For some reason everyone think it’s a great idea to get all up in their faces and poke at them with a stick then post it on social media to show how aggressive the snake is. If you come across a rattlesnake in the wild just leave it alone and give it some space. As soon as you walk away it will also leave because it doesn’t want to be in an area where they can be disturbed.

 

Myth #2: Baby rattlesnakes are more dangerous than the adults!

Not true again. People think that babies have no control of the amount if venom they use, so they just squish it all out wherever they bite. Nope. Young rattlesnakes have just as much control as adults. We have to remember that they rely heavily on this venom to help them procure their food. They will not waste it if they can help it. It cost the time and energy to restock their venom.

The venom of young rattlesnakes is slightly more potent than adults because they are eating different food. The slightly altered venom helps them kill and digest the food they’re  eating. If s human or large mammal get bitten by a young rattlesnake it will most likely not be any worse than the bite from an adult.

 

Myth #3: The abandoned eggs under the porch are rattlesnake eggs! Be careful!

If you listened to the reproduction episode you already know that this is false. Rattlesnake do not lay eggs. They give live birth. Don’t freak out if you see a bunch of eggs on the ground, you do not have a nest of rattlers waiting to hatch. Most likely you have a quail or another ground bird nesting in your yard.  

 

Myth #4: Moth balls and snake repellent are a must if you live where rattlesnakes are found.

There are a lot of products out there that promise to keep rattlesnakes away, but it’s all a lie. Mothballs do nothing but make your property smell like grandma’s closet. Rattlesnakes can’t smell the moth balls and if they did why would they avoid that smell. It means nothing to them. Mothballs might keep your human neighbors away, but not rattlesnakes. The snake repellent that you spread on your lawn is also a crock. You might as well just spread the money that you spend on buying it on the lawn. It’ll work just as well. Once again the snakes don’t care about the smell, if they can smell it at all. One last snake repellent myth that has lasted from the wild west days, is that snakes won’t cross a horsehair rope. Nope. The snake might pause a moment and taste the rope with his tongue before he slides over it, but that’s about it. The best way to prevent snakes from coming near where you live is to keep your property clean.  Don’t let clutter stand in your yard. 

 

Myth #5: You can tell how old a rattlesnake is by counting the links on their rattle. 

No. Every time a rattlesnake sheds a new link is added to the rattle. Rattlesnakes can shed more than once a year. A year old rattler could have three links on their tail if it was a good food year and they grew a lot, on the other hand a ten year old rattlesnake might have eight links if they had a few lean food years. Not to mention the rattles are made of hollow keratin and can be fragile. They might lose the rattle in a confrontation with a predator or cut a few links off if it gets stuck in a crack in a rock.

 

Myth #6: If you get bit, suck the venom out!

Definitely DO NOT suck the venom out of a rattlesnake bite! Get to a medical facility as soon as possible. Sucking the venom out could get the person doing it sick because no matter how much you spit, some of that venom is going to get absorbed into your digestive track. 

Also do not use a tourniquet to stop the flow of the venom, you’ll probably just end up further injuring whatever body part was bitten. By no means, do not kill the rattlesnake and bring it with you to the hospital. The doctors do not want it in the emergency room and there is no need to identify the specific species of snake because there is only one antivenom that is used for all species of rattlesnakes. Just leave the snake alone and it’ll wander away and leave you alone. Remember it was not being aggressive toward you, the note resulted from a misstep or an intentional goading on the part of the human. As an aside here, most snake bite kits that suction the venom out are an unnecessary buy and may provide a false sense of safety.

 

Myth #7: Did you see that twelve foot rattlesnake online?

There are no species of rattlesnakes that grow twelve feet long. The picture you’re looking at is faked with forced perspective. Look closely at the photo, the snake is held out toward the camera which makes it look longer than the person holding it. Also how can an average human hold a twelve foot rattlesnake on a tiny aluminum pole without looking at all strained. The longest rattlesnakes on record today can reach 7 1/2 to 8 feet, but these animals are rarely encountered by your average Joe. They have lived a long time and know how to avoid place that make them uncomfortable, such as places where humans congregate. 

 

Myth #8: Seeing a rattlesnake is a near death experience!

This is definitely not true. I used to live in the desert of Arizona and saw my fair share of rattlesnakes and I am still hear to talk about it. I never passed out or saw the light, I just stood back and gave the snake its space and it traveled on by. I enjoyed the moment spent with this amazing animal and then went on with my day. 

Thanks for joining me today as we busted a few rattlesnake myths. I had fun and I know you learned a lot because this is my fourth favorite thing about rattlesnakes.

 

 

 

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Join me next week for another episode about rattlesnakes.  

 

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This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.