Deadly 4' Long Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

4' long Western Diamondback Rattlesnake we found while geocaching in the Manzano Mountains just outside of Albuquerque New Mexico. Terry (manzano wolfe) came very close to getting bit on this hike!!

Rattlesnakes are member of the pit viper family, there are around 30 different types of rattlesnakes based across the world. All rattlesnakes have a distinct rattle, expect from baby rattlesnakes with are born without one. A baby rattlesnake will start to form the first segment of theirs after two weeks of being born. Most rattlesnakes shed their skins between two to three times per year, which creates a new section on the end of the rattle. There are different methods of identifying these types of snakes, for example they have vertical pupils and also feature 2 pits which are located beneath their nostrils.

Rattlesnakes become dormant within cold weather and winter, they are usually active from mid-march until the end of summer when the autumn arrives. They have a triangular shaped heads wider than their neck, the rattle located at the end of their tail is used as sign of when they feel threatened.

Shocking Statistics
Around 8500 people per year are bitten by snakes only within the USA! around 9%of victims die as a result Rattlesnakes can strike half of their own body length
Approximately 24% of bites from rattlesnakes do not contain venom.

If you are visiting a desert, or visiting an area which may contain snakes, one of the most useful, yet easy methods to protect yourself is to wear cowboy boots (the thicker the leather the better). Tuck your pants into the boots, which should help protect your lower leg area from bites. This has most definitely saved peoples lives, especially from baby rattlesnakes which can cause a potentially fatal bite.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Western
• Diamondback
• Rattlesnake
• Reptile
• Mountains
• Outdoors
• Venom
• Venomous
• Deadly
• Snakes
• Death
• Shocking
• Video
• Geocaching
• Geocache
• Cache

[Sithisnight]

What part of the monzanos were you in? I live in Belen and I go herping all the time. I have only ever seen 3.

[GEOCACHINGJEFF]

@Sithisnight

We saw this one on the Four Hills Open Space trail at the end of Stagecoach Road. It was probably at around the 6500 ft. level where we saw it on the trail. The Ojito wilderness is another great place to look for western diamondback rattlesnakes in New Mexico.

Jeff

[geocachespoilers]

great video

[doyle178]

@5757floyd Components of venom are effective in treating blood clots, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and even pain management!! Yet we should kill all these creatures off!! A little education and awareness and COMMON SENSE would eliminate nearly all cases of snake bite. Snakes do not lie in wait for some human to come along so they can bite someone. They bite when they are scared and someone moves into their immediate area. Stay alert and even throw on snake leggings and problem is solved. THE END

[doyle178]

@5757floyd Kill all poisonous (venomous) snakes in the world? You are an idiot!! Do you know that RATTLESNAKE VENOM is being researched right now as the most effective treatment of malignant cancer EVER??? Two studies have already concluded this fact and now the 3rd most comprehensive study is underway and we could see the broken down venom components being administered to humans very soon. There is also a multitude of other medical studies being completed on snake venom.

[DragonLowStar1]

shoot the motherfucker

[BradJC70]

@5757floyd The only verifiable PROOF of ignorance here, lies with YOU. Firstly, some snakes are 'VENOMOUS', not 'POISONOUS'. Secondly, according to YOUR logic, we should then KILL ALL SHARKS who are known to attack and kill people? I mean, what if YOUR kid wants to swim in the ocean one day? A shark might 'take him out'... NOBODY was harmed by the snake in this video. Remove it from the path IF you HAVE TO and be on your way. To kill it, is ignorant, unnecessary and CRUEL.

[5757floyd]

@BradJC70 No, i know the difference in poisonous snakes and that killing them off will not affect any rodents as there are plenty of non-poisonous snakes to make up for their loss. You are wrong, it is not ignorant to kill of dangerous creatures as there are many creatures just like them that will do the job. If one of those takes out your kid you will most likely praise that poison snake! Now, that is ignorance.

[hmf099]

as with any wild animal, you must be careful with venemous snakes. No reason to kill them though, that's just stupid. Without them your house would be full of rodents.

[treefireguy]

I got within a few feet of a 6 foot Western yesterday, near Roswell, NM, These are massive creatures and I was very glad he slowly crawled away after a short, almost lazy rattle, (definatly not a pissed off rattle). I can't get the sound and site of that encounter out of my head.

[allacasam]

@MrLANDRONICS

yeah well in exas eveyone on takes it to the bum also so you can just shut your mouth

[BradJC70]

@5757floyd You prefer the alternative then? Disease carrying rats and rodents by the billions, running around, eating and destroying crops? Your comment is borne of ignorance. ALL snakes are VITAL to sustaining the balance of the ecosystem.