Unlucky Reptile

I came across this very interesting photo on the internet, which shows a diamond-backed rattlesnake surrounded by guinea fowl and a few chickens. Apparently this venomous reptile wandered into the wrong part of town.

Outdoor Expo

Several weekends ago we went to an “outdoor expo” that’s held each year and is made up of companies and regular folk that sell their outdoor wares- from boats to knives, to camping supplies, to deer stands. But what my 2 ½ year old grand-daughter, was there for was to see the “nakes”.

Each year there is a group of guys who bring along a pile of western diamondback rattlesnakes and even a spectacled cobra in order to make the expo a bit more entertaining. When I told her about this she wanted nothing more than to see them.

There was a four foot wooden wall with plexiglass “windows” that surrounded the area where the snakes were. Kids were able to walk up and look through these windows to get an up close look at the diamondbacks that were scattered about the floor.

I know she is still very young and does not understand everything I say, but I still preach to her not to be afraid of nature, but to always respect it, especially when it comes to an animal that can be deadly.

I worry as she observes the snake handlers as they walk around nonchalantly amongst all of this venom as if they’re nothing more than garter snakes. At times not paying attention where they step. And then another who walks over to the spectacled cobra that is standing at attention on a small table and kisses it on the back of its head.

I don’t want her to get the wrong idea so I try and explain to her in the simplest of language that these particular snakes are the ones you do not touch. She nodded her head as if she understood while mesmerized as one of the handlers picks up and forces a rattlesnake’s maw wide open with a snake hook revealing its deadly hypodermic fangs.

Snakes in Burnet, TX

I spent a couple of days in the hill country in a small town, Burnet, TX, which is about an hour’s drive northwest of Austin. The terrain here consists mainly of dry, rocky scrub with the only green coming mainly from ashe junipers and flowering cactus. The perfect place to find a western diamondback rattlesnake(Crotalus atrox), which was the main draw that attracted me here. I’ve seen these guys on Discovery Channel and in National Geographic, but never right in front of me. Throughout its history the rattlesnake has been feared by all due to its menacing appearance- coiled up like a taut spring, rattle abuzz, and fangs ready to envenomate any aggressor that comes its way. We came across one while my friends were working on one of their deer feeders. It was coiled up under a juniper tree and to get a better look we had to force it out into the open. Well it didn’t like this and showed it by rearing up in the typical rattlesnake strike position. Its rattle shook and gave off a sound that once you hear it, you’ll never forget it. The diamondback’s coloration and diamond-like pattern allows it to blend in well against the rocky, desert floor, making the search for one harder and scarier. Most have no idea one is nearby until its rattle alerts you of its presence. I also have a short video that can be viewed here. It’s a bit shaky towards the end, understandably so- I was only about five foot from it.


While there I also caught two Texas rat snakes. One was 3 1/2 foot long it was a beauty! It was lying stretched out along the edge of a dirt road we were traveling on. When I apporached it I fully expected it to bolt, but it remained still until I picked it up. To view other pictures from this trip go here and click on the Burnet, TX set.