The Internet Such a Resource!?
Sometimes the internet is a great source of information and sometimes…well…it is like the National Enquirer. If you are not intimately involved in a particular area of study it can be pretty hard to know the difference when reading things online or seeing them on TV. To make matters more complicated, most of us (me included) tend to be pretty trusting anyway. When it comes to reptiles and amphibians, you can count on the staff at Reptile Gardens for the true facts, no sensational tabloid-style lies or exaggerations from us.
The infamous "giant" rattlesnake
We have all seen the viral photo below, or something like it, haven’t we? Our staff gets sensational reptile photos sent to us on a regular basis, so we want to address some of the over the coming months. Today, it’s time to talk about GIANT RATTLESNAKES!
Giant Snake Caught!
Each time we see this photo, the snake gets bigger and the story more fanciful. It is 8 feet long, it is 9 feet long, it is 10 feet long, it weighs 50 pounds, it weighs 75 pounds, it weighs 100 pounds. The simple answer here is that no one has EVER reliably recorded a rattlesnake 8 feet long. For as long as there have been reptile researchers and herpetologists, and for as long as records have been kept, there have been NO credible reports or actual measured specimens of that size. An 8-foot rattlesnake of any species would be a world record. In spite of what one may hear about species like the prairie rattler or timber rattler, there are only two, maybe three, species that could even come close to growing that big (Western Diamondback – Crotalus, atrox; Eastern Diamondback – Crotalus adamanteus; Mexican West Coast – Crotalus basiliscus).
OK, I will just make an 8 foot rattlesnake
A number of years ago, a friend of ours tried to raise a genuine 8-foot rattlesnake. He picked newborn babies from especially large mothers. He then devised a very intensive (and unnatural) feeding regimen. In the end he got some of the hugest, most obese rattlesnakes I have ever seen…but he never got an 8-foot snake. He ultimately gave up and gave all the snakes to us.
WANTED: 8 Foot Rattlesnake – Reward!
Since the mid-1950’s, here at Reptile Gardens we have offered a reward for an 8-foot rattlesnake. We have regularly increased the dollar amount as the years have gone by. Never once, in almost 60 years, has anyone brought in a rattlesnake that came even close to 8 feet long. Oh, believe me, we get calls all the time. I once talked to a woman in North Carolina who wanted to know “how many of them 8 foot rattlers” we wanted before she sent “the boys out to fetch” them. I told her to just get us one to start with and we could negotiate on more. We never heard from her – or any of our many other callers – again. And they certainly never showed up with one.
The Real Story
Forced perspective
So, what is the story of the obviously large snake in this particular photo? Well folks, it is all a matter of perspective, actually what is called “forced perspective”. If you shoot a photo with a long lens, staged properly (and at the proper angle) you can get all kinds of great results. To show you how easy this is, we shot the photo on the left yesterday in our parking lot. No Photoshop here, just forced perspective.
Yes, the snake in the photo is big – a nice big Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) probably around 5 feet long. It weighs maybe 10 pounds. So it isn’t anywhere near as big as claimed but it is a formidable rattlesnake to be sure. We have had many over the years of this same size.
So having said all this, I will extend our offer once again: If any of you out there have one of these 8 or 9 foot rattlesnakes on hand, bring it by. We’d love to have it. If it is over 8 feet long, delivered live and in good condition, we’ll give you $25,000 for it!
And by the way, do have a look at our other rewards. Who knows, you might just have one of these other giants in your backyard that you just don’t know what to do with now that it has outgrown your aquarium or bathtub!
7 Responses to GIANT RATTLESNAKES!
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Great blog. I love the picture of Joe and Tom in the parking lot. Hope you receive many of the 8-9 foot rattlers. That wold be a great display.
This is great! Good to see scientific explanations demystifying some of these legendary tales.
AND it’s good to see Joe on display as a beanie baby toy.
Hi,
my dad and I are thinking of getting a Western Hognose. We’ve been checking online to find out if they are venomous. Some say yes, some say no. Could you help us with a final answer? My mom won’t let me have a venomous snake.
thanks,
Phil
p.s. I love snakes. They rock.
Alas, that is Becky dangling from Tom’s fingers. I am just the photographer.
Hi Phil,
That’s a great question, one that requires a somewhat detailed answer. An easy question that’s not so easy to answer, so to speak. That’s why you are finding so many different answers to your question when you look on the internet.
The short answer is, Yes, the Western Hognose snake is venomous…technically. However, the technical or scientific definition of venomous is a far cry from a snake being clinically venomous. This means that they do produce venom, in a specific gland designed for venom production and have a venom delivery system but not fangs.
Now this does not mean they are clinically venomous or dangerous. The Western Hognose Snake is what we call a rear-fanged colubrid. So, it is in the same family as the extremely venomous and very dangerous Boomslang from Africa…read more about Boomslangs in an article that I wrote for Reptiles Magazine.
Now, does this mean that the hognose snake is dangerous to people? Well, I had one as a pet when I was very young. I have been bitten by them and never had any reaction. No one to my knowledge has ever needed any medical treatment for a Western Hognose bite.
Now, that said, a close friend of mine was bitten by a hognose just last year and he had some noticeable swelling and pain from the bite. However, and this is important, he let the snake chew on his finger for an extended period of time. So, I have to say that as with any biological agent that we don’t know a great deal about the potential for an unusual or even allergic reaction to the proteins and enzymes that make up venom.
To get to my point and hopefully answer your question: I think Hognose snakes make wonderful pets but a certain amount of caution should probably be exercised when handling them. (That to is true of any snake. Meaning, I don’t like to get bitten by anything)
Western Hognose snakes are very calm and very rarely attempt to bite in defense. All of the people I know of who have been bitten by a Hognose get bitten when they are feeding them. In a ‘food’ bite it is likely that they will hang on and chew in order to deliver some venom into what they think is food. Unfortunately it might actually be your finger instead. Their venom is what we call “species specific”-it is genuinely toxic to toads and not much else.
So, are they technically venomous? Yes. Are they dangerous? Not in my opinion, but should be treated with caution and a bite should be carefully monitored. Would I let my own six-year-old son have one as a pet? Absolutely.
Just in case Mom still says no, I would highly recommend a baby Bullsnake, one of the many types of Kingsnakes that are available or Ball Python.
Cheers!
Terry
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