Three so far, two rattlers at Usery and a Gopher I believe at Gold Canyon, I like him the most, he just laid there as I rode him over by mistake, then he just chilled, nothing like a rattler, all pissed off and noisy. Almost ran over one of the rattlers, bit of a hit to the ticker as one goes under your foot...... IMG_7790 by driverfound337, on Flickr IMG_7841 by driverfound337, on Flickr IMG_7860 by driverfound337, on Flickr
Why try to move it off the trail? I just go around them. And warn anyone approaching from the opposite direction.
What if someone is coming down the trail the same way you are? I would rather take a little time to nicely encourage the snake to go elsewhere, than risk someone not noticing it and potentially having a problem.
What if someone is coming down the trail the same way you are? I would rather take a little time to nicely encourage the snake to go elsewhere, than risk someone not noticing it and potentially having a problem.
^ This, as long as it's someone else doing the encouraging....!
Erika Nowak is a herpetologist at Northern Arizona University. She's been studying southwestern rattlesnakes for more than 20 years. She says, "Rattlesnakes are often relocated because they occur in places where people don't want them. In most cases, the animals will try to come back to where they were removed from, and if it's an urban area, they are very likely to be killed, either hit by a car, or show up in someone else's yard, or show up in another area and be killed."
Nowak says the snakes try to hard to get home that they take on risky behavior, like crawling during the winter when they should be hibernating, or moving during the day when they would ordinarily be hiding from predators. The normally hardy creatures can become physiologically stress and die from disease.
Erika Nowak believes relocating rattlesnakes may be more successful if their entire community is moved with them. " A lot of the research has been showing that they have really complicated social lives," she says. "So, one thing that we know that encourages survival is moving social groups, or moving animals - even if they're not physically related - at least moving a group of animals that know each other. Moving those animals together into a new habitat."
Nowak says that could mean transferring all the other snakes in the area to the new location, as well as the animals that den with them like gila monsters and desert tortoises.
In response to someone in the comments asking if there are studies that support this, Nowak responded:
In our review article recently published in Conservation Biology, we draw on studies from rattlesnake, Gila monster, and desert tortoise research, including observations of long-term fidelity to dens by different species, to speculate that moving entire communities will benefit all players. There is good data to support this idea for some social groups of rattlesnakes and gartersnakes, but we do not yet have this data for multiple species (to my knowledge). The research is also pretty clear that rattlesnakes and other long-lived reptile species relocated out of their home ranges exhibit aberrant behavior, which increases their mortality rates, compared to animals that are not moved.
The best defense against bullsh*t is vigilance. If you smell something, say something. Jon Stewart
Interesting. People tend to assume animals' lives are very simplistic. I have to admit, I never considered that rattlesnakes might have "really complicated social lives".
Many years ago I used to have a bunch of lizards as pets. I had a collard lizard, a desert iguana and a leopard lizard all living together. It was interesting seeing their different personalities. The collared lizard was a real grump in the morning, if one of the others approached, he would puff up and stand up as tall as he could. Later they'd all be laying on top of each other. He never wanted to be messed with by me though. The leopard lizard didn't seem to mind being handled.
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." -Douglas Adams.
Now I feel bad for relocating the neighbor's diamondback. It was up by her front door and it seemed the responsible thing to do. We seem to have a hibernaculum of gopher snakes under our garage, I would guess there are a few rattlesnakes in there with them as well. But oddly we only ever see gophers, shovel noses and blind snakes in our yard/garage. In the event of another diamondback encounter in proximity to the house, what would you recommend?
And what about the poor terrapins, you left them out?
Ok, who knows their reptiles? There are four orders:
Crocodilia — crocodiles, gharials, caimans and alligators: 23 species
Squamata — lizards, snakes and amphisbaenids ("worm-lizards"): about 7,900 species
Testudines — turtles and tortoises: approximately 300 species
???
What is the fourth?
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." -Douglas Adams.
Soooo many rattlesnakes out this season. I saw three just yesterday out in the McDowell's. Saw a big horned toad too. Unfortunately, it stayed in the weeds so I couldn't get a good picture of it.
I wasn't paying attention on Ripsey and took a wrong turn down some rocks into a wash. After realizing my mistake, I was most grateful for having made it as it netted me my first ever Gila Monster sighting. I would see another the following day in Martinez Canyon, but my phone was dead
Now I feel bad for relocating the neighbor's diamondback. It was up by her front door and it seemed the responsible thing to do. We seem to have a hibernaculum of gopher snakes under our garage, I would guess there are a few rattlesnakes in there with them as well. But oddly we only ever see gophers, shovel noses and blind snakes in our yard/garage. In the event of another diamondback encounter in proximity to the house, what would you recommend?
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I disagree with Dr. Novak. If you have to move a snake farther than 1 km, the more humane thing to do is kill it, rather than relocate it and cause it to suffer a slow painful death.
I wasn't paying attention on Ripsey and took a wrong turn down some rocks into a wash. After realizing my mistake, I was most grateful for having made it as it netted me my first ever Gila Monster sighting. I would see another the following day in Martinez Canyon, but my phone was dead
Great shot!
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." -Douglas Adams.
I wasn't paying attention on Ripsey and took a wrong turn down some rocks into a wash. After realizing my mistake, I was most grateful for having made it as it netted me my first ever Gila Monster sighting. I would see another the following day in Martinez Canyon, but my phone was dead
Originally Posted by chazpat
Great shot!
Love the Monster shots. First one I've seen scaling a cliff without a safety rope.
Originally Posted by NDD
Dude, I'm in Illinois. The only place anyone would come from that would say this area is hilly is Kansas.
I am so stoked I finally found a Gila Monster, moved to AZ a year ago and been looking for one ever since, I think I've checked off the critters I have wanted to find IMG_9102 by driverfound337, on Flickr
I am so stoked I finally found a Gila Monster, moved to AZ a year ago and been looking for one ever since, I think I've checked off the critters I have wanted to find IMG_9102 by driverfound337, on Flickr
where did you run across this guy?
He looks hungry.
Gold Canyon - finally saw my first gila monster! I scared the little dude while he was sunning himself on a rock. Good thing I had some riders following me or I wouldn't have known he was there!
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Originally Posted by Phillbo
