EISPIRATEN

Met a hot one on the trail today.



The photographer should be ashamed of the lousy framing!

Seems they are out in full force this year. I have seen 3 already.

And exactly what squamate are we looking at here?

Looks like a juvenile Crotalus Oreganus Helleri: Southern Pacific Rattlesnake.

Delicious.

Elwood wrote:Looks like a juvenile Crotalus Oreganus Helleri: Southern Pacific Rattlesnake.

Thanks. I really can't see it clearly enough but, it looks like it has no rattlers yet and is probably 18"-24"??

Here's a noob question: as I understand it the rattlers develop upon shedding each season. Would this mean that a young (1-2 y.o.) rattler would have no "rattle." If this is true, then field identification is pretty darn important since a young one has potent venom already?

It's been my non-professional's experience that under safe conditions, head shape should be used to clarify these identifications. On several occasions I've seen harmless Gopher snakes (pituophis catenifer,etc) wiggle their tails as though they had rattles. At first glance the patterning on their backs, though more checkerboard than diamond can be deceiving.


Rattle of a juvenile crotalus that someone unfortunately had killed above Brand Park.


Mediocre picture of another juvenile, illustrating the wide, triangular head.