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Walking
With Rattlesnakes |
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Garrett County is home to many types of wildlife. One of the most misunderstood is the rattlesnake. Although they can be dangerous the chances of being bitten is quite rare and rattlers normally give you a plenty of warning that they are near and agitated. The distinctive sound their rattles make will instantly caution you as well as raise the hair on the back of your neck. Most people think they are very aggressive, but actually they are not. If left alone they will leave you alone and about the only way to get bitten is to actually step on one. The snake can feel the vibrations in the earth as you walk towards them so they send out their warning by rattling when you get to close. If you do not put your hands and feet where you cannot see the chance of being bitten (even in prime rattler country) is quite remote. I have encountered several rattlers in my hiking around the county and never have I ever been close to being bitten. I have some land that is pretty remote and the old timers in my area say that our mountain is still home to one of the biggest rattle snake dens in these parts. For years I have heard this but not until this summer have I actually encountered one on this property. We also encounter rattlers in the Big Savage Mountain Wildlands as well. In fact our lunch spot for our Savage Rez kayaking tours has a hike to a rock overlook and we sometimes spot one in a particular spot on this one rock. He has never rattled and he always just sits there and minds his own business (and we mind ours as well).
Rattlesnakes are among the most highly specialized organisms on the planet. Their venom is a toxic saliva that is among the most complex substances known. Rattlesnakes are also one of the few animals that has a dual vision system. Not only can they see with their eyes but they can also detect infrared images that they 'see' with a special sensory organ located in their upper jaw. A rattlesnake can detect the heat from candle 30 feet away! Rattlesnakes are in fact quite rare. Most have been been killed. It has always been a custom in Appalachia to kill any rattlesnakes found and wiping them out is quite easy because at certain times of year they are clustered in groups. Rattlesnakes spend the winter in snake dens. Some snake dens have been used by a group of rattlers for hundreds of years. Since they are cold blooded animals when winter comes they go under ground and curl up together in a big ball to keep warm and alive. In the spring they come out and and for a few weeks as they warm up they hang out close to the den. During this time they are slow and easy to kill. Most areas of Garrett County have wiped out their rattler populations, but in the big woods and remote areas a few snake dens still flourish and rattlers can be found. Just recently we led a group from a Virginia YMCA on an adventure hike to the top of Big Savage Mountain. On the way up, we had to hike around a tree that had fallen and we had to make a slight detour off the trail to get around it. The entire group walked around the tree and it wasn't until the last two hikers that a rattler sent out his warning and rattled. He had been actually sitting within a few feet of where everyone hiked and it wasn't until the last hikers in the group walked near that he decided to warn us.
Knowledge of “who” these creatures are—that is, what they do for a living, where they live and when they are active—will help us coexist without harm to either snakes or humans. Most rattlesnakes avoid contact with humans. They tend to avoid wide open spaces that offer little protection from predators, so they usually spend their time in and under low-growing shrubs, natural and artificial debris, rocks and the like. You are most likely to see them when temperatures are between 70 and 90 degrees, and many are nocturnal hunters during the hot summer months.
Rattlesnakes have very long curved fangs that normally flat inside the mouth. When a snake strikes a special muscle and joint rotate the fangs so they can bite. These fangs are hollow and each fang is connected to a venom gland that supplies the poison through a venom duct. baby rattlesnakes when born come fully armed with venom and fangs. The venom aids in capture of their prey and digestion. Approximately 20 percent of strikes are 'dry' with no venom injected so it appears they can control who or what gets injected. Snake venom's are extremely complex; there is no “standard” rattlesnake venom. They consist of combinations of proteins that range from hemotoxins, which break down cells and tissues, to anticoagulants and neurotoxins that may cause circulatory arrest or respiratory paralysis.
Each time a rattler sheds its skin a new rattle 'button' is added. A rattler may shed his skin one to four times a ear. Because segments are added at various rates, and because they break off, it is not possible to tell a snake’s age by counting the segments. There isn’t anything inside the rattle; the various segments merely bump against each other to produce the sound. The tremendous amount of sound produced results from movement of the rattle back and forth 60 or more times per second! Rattlesnakes help control the rodent population and very beneficial. Rattlesnakes eat about once every two weeks, although younger snakes may eat more frequently. They don't regard you as food and that is why a bite would always be a defensive action and not an aggressive offensive attack. Rattlesnakes take on the coloration of their surroundings and can vary from pale to almost black. In our area the most kind found is the Timber Rattlesnake. You may have heard about treating snake bites where you 'cut and suck' out the venom. This is no longer the recommended treatment. The recommended treatment is to evacuate the injured person as quickly as possible and administer anti-venom. Most healthy folks can survive a rattlesnake bite. Deaths typically occur in children, the elderly, or when antivenin is not given, is administered too late, or is given in insufficient doses. Of the roughly 2,000 snakebites a year only about 5-6 result in a fatality. Most bites are received by folks trying to handle the snakes. If you use care when hiking in rattler country the chances of being bitten are extremely small. Just watch where you put your hands and feet and don't bother or harass the snake. One of the most common places to find snakes is around abandoned farms where there is a large rodent population. Care should always be taken when digging around old sheds and barns and lifting wood or other debris where a snake maybe hiding. With common sense and an awareness of their habits we can live safely with rattle snakes. Just be careful, but don't let a fear of snakes keep you from venturing off the beaten path or into the woods. Your chances of seeing any snake is small and your chances of seeing a poisonous snake even rarer still.
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Snake Information Online Maryland Venomous Snake Information Snakebite Treatment from the University of Maryland Medical Center |
