Watch where you step in Texas. (warning for people who do not like snakes.)

[texas1928]

Next time you're out in the tall grass, remember this one.

This snake was recently found at the J & S Quik Mart, located just South of the RR 3014

turnoff on Highway 281, South of Tow, Texas.

A reminder that these creatures are actually out there and no matter what you believe,

sometimes they should get not only prescriptive rights to be there but the full right of way!

9 feet, 1 inch - 97 lbs.

[Zuiderelle]

1. I've never seen a rattlesnake that big!

:wow:

[Shell Beau]

2. Me either! That is huge!

But he didn't have to kill it! My husband would have killed it too! He kills copperheads on a daily basis! :shrug:

[texas1928]

3. I killed a 7.5 footer.

That is the biggest I have seen til now. That snake is huge.

[Roon]

4. I remember when I was about five years old

I had my first hearing aid...a body aid...this is a hearing aid box that you strapped onto your chest. Anyway, we were visiting a friend's farm and I went loose through the cornfields. I HEARD the snake first before I SAW his tail. I did an about face and ran!! I never heard of rattle snakes buy my natural instinct told me that wasn't good. And If I didn't have my hearing aid on that day, I probably would have gotten bitten.

[texas1928]

13. I am glad you heard it.

Rattlesnake bites are not fun. I had a friend nearly lost his little sister to a rattlesnake bite. She still wears a brace on her calf to support the muscles where it bit her. She lost like 50 percent or more of her calf muscle from the bite.

[Roon]

72. Gawd

How terrible.

[ashling]

5. The Picture did no open for me

any suggestions ? ... short of going out and finding my own rattlesnake

[texas1928]

6. I posted it through Photobucket.

So no Idea. Photobucket usually works.

[IA_Seth]

10. My work bans photobucket links..

The man is tryin to keep me down I tell ya!

[NMDemDist2]

7. right click on the little box and choose 'view image'

that being said :wow: that's one huge snake

[realisticphish]

8. That's awesome

I love snakes

[texas1928]

12. Snakes don't bother me.

But Rattlesnakes are not fun to run across. I have had to many run ins with them.

[realisticphish]

33. oh yeah

we have to watch out for some rattlers, but copperheads and water moccasins are more common around us.

[texas1928]

42. We have copperheads, Mocassins, Rattlesnakes

Those are most of our venomous ones.

[LynneSin]

9. THERE'S M***********G SNAKES IN TEXAS.......

AND THERE'S NOT A GOD DAMN THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

(well perhaps you could crap on the constitution and illegal get your texan into the White House)

[texas1928]

11. He's not a Texan, and I did not vote for him all three times he ran.

I voted for Ann Richards.

[bigwillq]

14. Wow. That's huge!

But why did they kill it.

Couldn't they have called some kind of animal control place to catch it and set it back into the wild?

[Kerrytravelers]

15. Exactly what I was thinking.

I'm not great lover of snakes, but it makes me sad to see one needlessly killed.

[texas1928]

17. They could have.

But in Tow, Texas it is a population of 305, that is as of 2000. Not many tiny towns have animal control. When you come across a dangerous animal, that is a threat to humans and live stock, you kill it. That is the sad truth. The last one I killed, I was told by animal control to kill it before kids came across it. The only snake we don't kill is Bull Snakes, they kill rattlesnakes.

[Gato Moteado]

66. the only snakes you don't kill are bullsnakes?

first of all, there are about 110 species of snakes in texas. only a handful are venomous. the vast majority of snakes you will ever run across will be harmless, beneficial snakes. the way i read your post is that you kill every kind of snake you see with the exception of bullsnakes. that's not cool.

secondly, texas bullsnakes (Pituophis melanoleucus sayi) do not eat or kill rattlesnakes. they feed strictly on warm blooded prey like mice, rats, and ground dwelling birds.

[texas1928]

80. OK Enough already, you KNOW more about snakes.

[matcom]

16. i don't step in Texas

and this is reason # 8373567843

:scared:

[texas1928]

18. Oh, you hear them before you see them.

It is the one that you don't hear rattle that gets you.

[matcom]

20. i hear that ONE TIME.....

i'm living on a pier :D

[GOPisEvil]

21. Ya know, I've lived in Texas for over 26 years.

I've only seen rattlesnakes in captivity.

Now, I've EATEN rattlesnake. Kinda like a chicken nugget. :shrug:

Staying in cities as much as possible means not seeing rattlers. :thumbsup:

[texas1928]

26. Stare one in the eyes.

that will make a christian out of you. Or make you mess up a nice pair of underwear. I have stared one face to face. It was not pleasant.

[Gato Moteado]

74. i've seen loads of them.....

...i used to drive the south texas roads at night with the purpose of viewing wildlife. i have chased many western diamondbacks off the road so they don't get run over. they're not scary at all. they always run away.

[texas1928]

29. It will make your heart play Tarzan on the little thing in the back of your throat.

I have heard that familiar BZZZZZZZZ way to many times.

[trof]

22. That's what I hate about moccasins. Silent.

I have a deal with the water moccasins.
If they stay out of my yard, I don't kill 'em.

[GOPisEvil]

23. Oh, now moccasins I've seen.

But again, out in the country near the water. Never here in the concrete jungle.

[texas1928]

24. Then stay away from the lakes and rivers around Austin.

You can get mocassins in those. Try being in a canoe and one of the damn things falls out of a tree into your boat.

[GOPisEvil]

25. Been there...almost done that.

I used to work at a camp in the hill country. Saw a few mocs, but never had an unpleasant encounter.

[texas1928]

27. I had one swim between my legs.

I was knee deep in a tank, fishing. And it went right between my legs. I hollered and ran for shore. My best friend laughed and said they could not bite under water. Then I asked him what they eat. He said Fish, I said "So they wait til they jump out of the water then?" He went "Oh" and got out of the water.

[GOPisEvil]

31. ummm....

There are NO snakes waiting to eat my doggie in WA rivers, just sayin'.


:scared:


oops -- I'm you again. :rofl:

[GOPisEvil]

32. LOOSER!!!

:rofl:

I know what you mean though. Stupid house. :(

[texas1928]

34. Stop talking to yourself.

Hey Guys, we got us a Class A weirdo here.


Everyone stare at him.







:P

:rofl:

[GOPisEvil]

35. This isn't news to most people.

:D

[GOPisEvil]

38. Not news to ME, either!

What says you?

;)

[GOPisEvil]

39. I agree.

I'm a total weirdo. Anyone that associates with me must be a freak. :D

[GOPisEvil]

40. Agreed.

I have TOTAL FREAK written all over my forehead.

[GOPisEvil]

41. No complaints.

Trust me. ;)

Although, you might want to wipe that off your forehead. People will wonder. ;)

[texas1928]

49. Sounds like you need to go back to Washington.

[GOPisEvil]

51. I just got back from there last night.

But yeah, I agree. :D

[texas1928]

52. So does she come and visit you?

Or are you spending all that money?


:P

[GOPisEvil]

53. Heh...she has...and the plan is for her to move here.

Maybe later this year she's coming down again.

[texas1928]

54. You movin' a nother northern here.

GAWD DAMMIT!!!! SON WE ARE TRYIN' TO KEP'EM OUT!!!!



:P

[GOPisEvil]

55. Well...find someone to buy my house for 100% of market...

...and I can leave. :P

[texas1928]

61. That is ok.

I am not lookin gto move that far east.

[GOPisEvil]

56. LOL

See, there's OUR money, and there's MY money. OUR money is what he's spending on airfare. MY money is what I buy bonbons and gadgets with. :D And... he only THINKS I'm moving to Texsux. I'm in the process of laying a trap. Once he's sufficiently ensnared .... well, he's toast.


;)

[GOPisEvil]

57. Did you say Texsux?

Why I oughta...:spank:

[texas1928]

60. Swat her good.

She needs it. That is just... RUDE!

[Gato Moteado]

71. water moccasins (Agkistrodon piscivorus) are heavy bodied pit vipers....

...not really built for climbing. while they're not arboreal, they certainly can crawl out on logs or thick low hanging branches to sun themselves. personally, i've never seen one up in a tree. but, Nerodia, the genus of common watersnake species, tend to be leaner and more likely to climb higher into mangroves or other aquatic trees that hang over bodies of water. most people (outside of herpetologists and animal watchers) commonly mistake common nerodia species (which are way more common than water moccasins) for water moccasins.

you won't believe how many people have told me they have seen or killed water moccasins and then when they show me the snake it's clearly a harmless watersnake they've seen or killed.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

75. heheheh

the great irony is that youre a Floridian.

well i suppose a floridian is a good judge of what states not to step into.

[trof]

19. Wull, EVERTHANG'S BIGGER in TEXAS.

Whew.
That's some rattler.

[texas1928]

28. That is a big snake.

I would not want to cross one like that in a field.

[trof]

30. It would eat your pickup and spit out the tires.

[texas1928]

50. He can try and catch me.

[idgiehkt]

36. man I thought that was a python when I first saw it.

we have to watch out for coral snakes around here, nothing that big thank goodness.

[texas1928]

46. No python

But that one is getting close.

[BreweryYardRat]

37. Poor rattler.

You just know that one had been around for at least a decade.

[texas1928]

47. Well, if that is that big, you know out there, there are others that are bigger.

[Jade Fox]

43. I hope it's not dead in that picture.....

Granted, I would not want to meet up with it, but that is a magnificent snake. I had no idea Western Diamondbacks got that big!

[texas1928]

45. It is dead, you would not hold a live rattler like that.

It could bite him in the nuts.

[Pithlet]

44. Wow. I like snakes, but I think I'd have a heart attack if I ran into that one.

It's too bad they killed it.

[texas1928]

48. If I would have run into it, I would have killed it too.

that is just the way it goes.

[InvisibleTouch]

58. It always makes me sad and angry...

...that whenever you see a report or a picture like this, the poor snake is dead. I would trade that beauty for my current neighbors any time.

Perhaps your title should have been: Warning for people who DO like snakes.

[Gato Moteado]

64. it's part of texas culture....kill first, ask questions later

i've seen it all too often down here. many rural people in texas kill all snakes, not just pit vipers.

[RevolutionaryActs]

59. HOLY FUCKING CHRIST!!!!

I AM NEVER GOING TO TEXAS!!!!!!!! :scared:

[texas1928]

62. CHICKEN!!

You have to really be out in the country to find them. Tow, TX. is a tiny little town. It is mostly rural area. That is why they found it in the town.

[Gato Moteado]

63. one reason i'm glad i left texas....people there kill everything they don't understand...

sure, rattlesnakes are potentially dangerous, but there's no need to kill them. just keep your distance. i've lived in texas and south florida and have seen many large vipers (rattlesnakes, water moccasins, etc) up close and never had one get aggressive with me. i've freehandled coral snakes....i don't recommend this but trust me, they're not the fire breathing dragons you are led to believe. i wouldn't handle a pit viper without hooks or tongs, but their ggression is also overrated.

i don't know the exact numbers but the occurence of death because of pit vipers in the states is extremely rare. you're tens of thousands of times likelier to get killed by a drunk driver or shot by a handgun. so, why then don't rattlesnake killers also kill every drinker and handgun owner? you're also far more likely to get killed by a rabid dog. do people go around killing every dog?

if you see a snake in the wild, let it be. they're beneficial. that rattlesnake got that big because it eats a lot of rodents.

down here in central america we have bushmasters and fer-de-lances, and believe me, they make rattlesnakes (which are mild mannered) look like puppy dogs. and, while there are uneducated people here that kill every snake they see, most land owners don't even do harm to the bushmasters and fer-de-lances.

here's a side striped palm pit viper i saw last year near my house. ounce for ounce, the venom is more potent than any rattlesnake in the states other than maybe the green mojave rattler. i could never imagine killing something this beautiful:


here's a fer-de-lance (known here as terciopelo), the most feared snake in all of latinamerica. most people that handle venomous reptiles will tell you that diamondback rattlesnakes (like the one pictured above) are relatively predictable and easy to handle if you know how. many of these same people wouldn't even try to tangle with a fer-de-lance. i almost stepped on this guy but saw him just before i did:

[leftofthedial]

65. I've seen lots of rattlers

that is by far the biggest one I've ever seen

[chemenger]

67. Snopes.com is your friend!

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/txsnake.asp
Texas Rattlesnake

Claim: Photograph shows a 9-foot rattlesnake caught in Texas. (9 feet,
1 inch - 97 lbs.)
Status: Undetermined.


The proportions seem impossible. A nine foot snake weighing 97 pounds
would be ten pounds per foot and the appearance of the snake in the
picture doesn’t seem to be that hefty. It also seems unlikely that the
pole could support the weight and the man holding it could hoist 97
pounds so casually.


After some further investigation I found a page from a zoo that gives
a formula for the length-weight relationship of rattlesnakes which
states that “a seven-foot wild rattler would weigh about 15 pounds and
an eight-foot snake would weigh 23 pounds.” According to this formula
a nine-foot snake could not possibly weigh 97 pounds.

[Gato Moteado]

73. i was just about to post the same thing!!!

and without checking snopes.

after viewing the photo again and reading the post more clearly (something i didn't do right off the bat because hearing about texas rednecks senselessly killing stuff usually pisses me off), i saw the claim of 9 feet and 97 lbs and realized that was impossible. the record for a western diamondback is around 7.5 feet and it was measured after it was killed and probably stretched by the perpetraitor to make the snake appear bigger than it was.

and yes, i also immediately thought that the dude in the photo would never be able to hold a 97lb object that easily and the tongs would probably break.

[chemenger]

79. Great minds think alike.

you and snopes that is!!

[alphafemale]

76. The perspective is being forced.

The snake is much closer to the camera than the man.

[Gato Moteado]

78. exactly

the same trick fishermen use.

[LSK]

68. its not the size, its the bite

The smallest rattlers can kill you. I think even babies have enough venom to do major damage.

[texas1928]

70. Baby rattlers do not have control

When they strike they tend to latch on and just keep pumping venom. Adults strike and let go. That is why a young snakes bite is worse. They have no self control

[Gato Moteado]

77. true.....sort of

baby pit vipers tend to have a venom that is even stronger than adults of the same species. true, juveniles don't have the control or the "intelligence" not to waste their precious venom by biting everything that moves. if you get bitten by a juvie, odds are that you'll have been envenomated. that said, juvies are so small, they don't have much venom at any given time. while an adult is probably more likely to give a dry or fairly dry bite, that isn't always the case. a large rattler is capable of injecting a large quantity of venom with a bite.

but, if a bite victim relaxes and gets to a hospital within a few hours, he or she will probably make a full recovery. north american pit vipers have a venom that is mainly hemotoxic, though it could contain a percentage of neurotoxin as well, as is the case of the green mojave rattlers in california. if a person is bitten on the hand or foot, it's a good idea to seek medical attention immediately as there is a risk of losing the use of some of your digits or possibly losing digits altogether as the hemotoxin will break down muscle tissue.

[Pacifist Patriot]

69. *shudder*