After I have provided you with some information about finding scorpions, I felt that I should also tell you how to spot one of my favorite wild animals: the rattlesnake. Going on hike for observing rattlesnakes can be much more fun than searching scorpions because these snakes are just much easier to find.
Rattlesnakes photographed by Sylvia Rosenberg 10x8-merged-comp-snakes-darker001 © by mikebaird
Sometimes a rattlesnake is almost a flamboyant piece of the landscape: it often lies sunning itself on a rock. This happens especially on sunny days during late morning. If they are not lying on rocks they might be under them. They also often hide beneath logs, rock piles and bushes. On the surface you will find them in fields that are inhabited by a large a amount of small mammals. Rattlesnakes usually stay away from cold, shady or moist locations. So you better don’t try to find them in thick woods.
Once you have found a snake that you think might be a rattlesnake, have a close look. Does it show a narrow head on which a broad and triangular head is sitting? Does it have elliptical pupils? Than it is probably a rattlesnake! You can be absolutely certain if you can spot its rattle at its tail’s end. However, sometimes rattlesnakes lose their rattle. This means, that a missing rattle is not a clear sign of being a different species. However, the rattle gets a new segment if the snake sheds its skin so that the rattle will eventually grow back.
As always: be careful! Rattlesnakes are very venomous. Never touch them!
