Think People don't Want to Learn About Rattlers?

A standing room only crowd shifted anxiously as the speaker pulled a bag from the pail and the buzz worm song began. We were already in their thrall from Matt's run through the truth about rattlesnakes when his partner Tony pulled one out the bag.

  Matt Holding & Tony Frazier Unlocking the Secrets of a Symbol of the American West. Rattlesnakes 

Presented by the Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society and UC Sedgwick Reserve

A couple months ago I had a brainstorm that a rattler talk would be a hot ticket for either or both these organizations. I heard about rattlesnakes or hopes of seeing them from hikers at every outing I led or attended at Sedgwick Reserve (SR). I am new to the board for SYVNHS and I'm a docent for SR and actively thinking what the public might want. It was already in the works as though someone read my mind, but got there before me!  Wonderful, Matt and Tony, researchers in herpetology were coming to collect data at SR for their studies and agreed to share their experience with us.

 And they did, last night for the public and today for the docents. The vitality of these non-stuffy academics charged the air amidst high flying science jargon like neuro-toxin budgets and female capital breeders, and tail flagging squirrels with and without heat, so that everyone was throwing out questions and getting down with data.

We all want to believe these are the bad guys from the underworld, Lord Valdermutt or such, but when you live with them, like I do, it's a relief to learn they spend 99.9% of their active part of the year coiled up in a camouflage position waiting for their next meal. That meal is not me! I mean I knew that right, the meal part? Little snake, big me, not much of a match. All that racket is about keeping the klutzes of the world (me again) from treading on their backs or worse their necks. The places they hide out I don't belong anyway, under rock piles, under the plywood I tossed aside and beside a foundation behind a bush. So when I blunder to where I can't see my feet or hands, it's time to watch and listen, like crossing the street only lower!

Crowd around, see the Western Rattler

Move away from the man, move away from...

 Living on a property with rattlers makes me stay awake and aware. I've seen a few in 36 years, but not as many as I know there are. What I concluded was confirmed: rattlers don't want to get to know me! I suppose that's true of other folks, but I'm less aware about that. When Tony or Matt let any of these rattlers loose for a moment or two, they headed for the nearest hole away from people! This is not an aggressive critter though people love to tell stories that would lead you to think the opposite. I'm not likely to come to love them, but I appreciate the niche they fill on the shelf of life.

Maybe they forgot I'm here.

This is where he wants to get away from humans 

 The ones we  encounter are not where they want to be found, on the trail,or road, exposed and vulnerable and that's why we get the exciting treatment we come to associate with this symbol of the west. It's primal, right? Your adrenalin spills into the cascade of alerting hormones and you are ready for action. Add a squirm underfoot and you know your life is not a dream! At the right distance a rattler siting is a wonderful experience. You can draw this story out for twenty or thirty years to impress people with your fearless foray into the wilderness. That's fun!

Count Scales to key which species this is.

So how dangerous are they? Matt's figures tell a story of less than five deaths a year over the past 20 with 4-8,000 humans bit each year. That's 1.25% using the 4K figure, half that on a big biting year. Now, if you happen to be female, you figure in 1/10 of the data, not because of the resident evil in the snake pursuing men. The clue is that half the victims were drunk and male and many were18-28 and male and what part of stupid don't we understand? fellas? 
That's not to say the living bitees enjoyed the experience, but they lived to tell about it. Matt's photos of a couple of swollen limbs prove this is serious business.

Did he mention costly? Yes he did. Treatment will set you back $7K per anti-venom vial and you will need 15-30 vials. And there is the fee of the treating facility and staff. Looks like a cool several $100K before you're back in circulation.


I don't want to play with them and if I pay attention I'll probably do as well as the last 36 years. Tony says they strike from 1/3 to 2/3 of their body length, so I plan on giving them that space and more. Even good jeans offer protection, cutting venom injected by an estimated 60%. So when I felt more vulnerable in shorts it wasn't just me getting psyched out. Leather boots or snake gaters give more protection yet. Anyway I'm counting on a few more exciting moments to conjure into scary stories to prove my bravery!

Did you want to know if baby rattlers inject indiscriminately large amounts of venom? Too bad, it's not true. Their venom might be a little more toxic, per drop, but the amount doesn't compare and all of these critters titrate for the size prey involved. Quit exaggerating about your close call with that six inch monster! 

It's time we appreciate these low slung reptiles for their solution to a set of habitat problems, some of which I feel we don't even know. Scare them out of your vulnerable places, re-locate if you need to but see if you can't find the respect for yourself that leaves them alive.  

Tony unraveled the snake bag and dropped the first rattler on the floor and that buzz echoed off the

Snake Tube for Safe Viewing

concrete so even high-pitch hearing challenged  guy that I am, I could hear it in the back of the room. The feet in the first row lifted as Tony deftly pinched the western rattler with the snake tongs and soon scooped him head-first into a clear tube. Once thusly trapped, the snake was presented by the expert  for our razor-close inspection. It's difficult to match this level of engagement in the classroom with every subject!

Spotted Towhee Photo for folks who are put off by snakes, enjoy!