Rattlesnake
A recent question about rattlesnakes prompted us to write this post, since we figured it may be helpful to many people in the Black Hills area.
The question involved concerns that there has been an increase in the population of rattlesnakes, or that there was a nearby den of snakes that contributed to increased snake encounters and danger to children and pets.
In fact, there have been many such questions this year. In nearly 13 years here at Reptile Gardens, I have never received so many calls about rattlesnakes.
More Activity, Not Snakes
The short story is we don’t have more rattlesnakes this year. We are just encountering them more frequently because both humans and snakes have been more active due to more temperate weather.
Rattlesnakes generally enjoy cooler weather. Not cold weather, but definitely cooler than some of the drought-inducing temperatures we’ve experienced in the last decade or so.
We’ve become accustomed to low snake activity in the summer because of these high temperatures. During these periods, rattlesnakes are generally more active:
- Early morning
- Late evening
- Night time
And since humans are generally the least active at these times, there’s a perception of low rattlesnake activity, which implies a lower population.
So What Changed?
The last couple summers have been much cooler than previous years, so the snake’s activity cycles are greatly increased. They are active on most summer days at 4pm or so, all night, and until 12 or 1pm. This leaves only a few hours of the day where they are avoiding the higher temps.
Since it hasn’t been so stinkin’ hot for us people too, we are out and about for longer periods of time when the snakes are also active. The result: we are seeing more snakes this year than in previous years.
So rest assured, there’s no uptick in snake populations, nor is it likely there is a den close by that poses any more danger than usual. You’ll simply want to be more vigilant and take some precautions against enticing snakes onto your property. We’ll be writing more about that soon – stay tuned!
Great article. I’ll be sending this to the couple of emails I get every day citing various fictitious claims of “rattlesnake invasion”.
I am a registered nurse in the panhandle of Nebraska. This past January we had a patient present at night with a rattle snake bite on his finger for which he was treated. My question is of the accuracy of the reported history of events. The patient stated that he saw the snake in the road and was biten when he reached down for it. This seems unlikely because of the time of year. Don’t rattlesnakes hibernate this time of year? I checked the temperature for this previous day and the high was 54 F. The temperature at the approximate time of bite was 28 F. Would rattlesnakes be active at this time of year with warmer weather? My thoughts were that the patient may have kept the snake as a pet inside his house. Can you given me insight to snake activity this time of year with this type of weather?
Thank you,
Larry Steele RN
BBGH Trauma Coordinator
Larry,
27F would be fatal to the rattlesnake … snakes can be somewhat active in the early spring, but tend to just hang out near their den area, taking advantage of sun exposure when it comes. I highly doubt that, even if temperatures were more favorable, they’d be “on the move”.
Of course, anything’s possible. I’ve found rattlesnakes in Idaho in the mid 50′s, and have also found rattlesnakes injured on the road that are capable of biting. A possibility (not saying probability!) is the snake could have been moving across the road in the higher temps, been injured, and was still alive when the guy found it somehow.
… and ya, he probably had it in a box in his house.
Larry,
I think your assumption surrounding the details of this bite are probably correct. I never say never, but, it is highly unlikely that a rattlesnake would be at all active at those temperatures. Although we have seen snakes in dens survive very low temperatures, it is next to impossible for the snake to be able to physically function at 28 degrees.
Check your laws for the State of Nebraska but I do know in Omaha it is illegal to keep venomous snakes. When this is the case, most people who illegally keep reptiles will concoct some asinine story like that to explain away a bite. For instance, just last month in Maryland a lady claimed to have been bitten by a cobra in a parking lot because she “thought it was a stick and bent down to pick it up.” Upon investigation it turns out she had a number of venomous snakes in her house.
In another case in the East a few years back, a lady presented at the ER with a snakebite, claiming it was from a native rattlesnake. The ER administered Crofab Antivenom to no effect. She died quickly due to cranial hemorrhaging. It was later determined to have been a bite by a South American Urutu. Her local zoo stocked the appropriate antivenom so if she had identified the snake properly on presentation it is very likely she would be alive today.
Terry