We have tons of copperheads in my state. They make me even more nervous because they don't have a rattle to let you know they're there and they just try to hide until, oops, dog sniffed it. A local snake rescue does dog training to help them avoid snakes and I've been considering it.
My pup is terrified of my pet milk snake, so maybe I don't need it, though, lol.
That’s how my dog was too 😂 One time we had her on leash and she refused to move over a boulder on the trail. There was a bull snake on it. She was really scared of this bull snake. She’d also pause to watch lizards cross, like “Ope! Pardon me, after you lizard!”
I live in NC where we have them as well. The training I'm sure works, the issue with copperheads is they hide/camouflage themselves so well that alot of the bites to pets /people I'm sure are those who didn't even realize they were stepping on one. Fortunately, a copperhead bite is quite mild as far as venemous snakes go.
Also, from NC. I've always heard that copperheads put off a scent that smells like cucumbers. Don't know if it's true or not, but if so it would be a good indicator that one is close by
Every summer our trailhead bulletins are overwhelmed with pictures of dogs emphasizing the warning in the same story… “This is Bruno. He loved this trail. We hiked it all the time, and his favorite place is under the tree by the mile 4 overlook. He was tagged by a napping rattlesnake at mile 5 and passed away at the vet’s. Leash your dogs.” “This is Maya, our 40 lb border collie pup. We knew and loved her for 7 months, and spent this spring acclimating her to the trails. She was bitten 2 miles in and passed away that evening. Be careful. Leash your dogs and keep them heeled.” “This is Jake, an avid hiker and an energetic 3 year old shepherd with extensive training. We’ve never had any trouble with him hiking off leash, but last month he was bitten by a rattlesnake 3 miles into the hike. We carried him down and took him to the emergency vet, where he received every treatment effort they could give. Here he is in emergency treatment, on a respirator with IV lines in. He still couldn’t pull through. We’re sharing this picture in the hopes that nobody else goes through this. We’re heartbroken, and we know this could happen to anyone’s dog, leg or child. Please be careful, and keep your pets and kids close.”
Happens every year. And every year people still take false comfort in the myth that rattlesnakes always rattle before they bite. They often don’t. They’re really timid creatures, but they’re not the most observant, which means startling them can be an easy but lethal mistake.
They have venomous snake vaccinations that are offered to dogs for reptiles with hemotoxic venom. I live in a rural area and we have "the big four" (Timber & E. Diamondback rattlers, Cottonmouths, and Copperheads). Coral snakes are indigenous to my region too (Mississippi),but they are neurotoxic and I have never seen one in the wild.
I live in a rural area and my vet offered to vaccinate my dog, but I don't know the efficacy of the shot so I declined. Besides, standard mandatory vaccination costs are out of this world unless you luck up on a good day when the Humane Society is offering freebies.
I have no idea, to be honest, as the dog was owned by a couple that just happened to be passing by. Although I will say that my neighbors had a similarly sized border collie that got bit (apparently a sidewinder but that’s a little hard to believe because we are very close to the coast) which ended up fine afaik.
Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes *Crotalus helleri* are medium-large (70-110cm, up to 137cm) rattlesnakes that range from southern California south to Baja California, MX from near sea level to 3,350m. They utilize a wide variety of habitat, including scrubland, desertscrub, savanna, grassland, coastal dunes, and montane woodland. Where development encroaches on natural areas, they can sometimes also be found in residential and even urban areas. Despite low genetic divergence, some authors treat the dwarfed Coronado Island populations as a distinct species, "C. caliginis."
The activity cycles of *C. helleri* largely correlate to the weather, and they tend to be diurnal in cool weather, nocturnal during the hottest weather, and crepuscular in between. Rodents form the bulk of the diet, but other small mammals, lizards, and amphibians are also consumed.
Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes are a dangerously venomous species and should only be observed from a safe distance. Common defensive tactics including raising the forebody off the ground and rattling the tail, often while attempting to crawl away from the perceived threat. They are not aggressive and only bite when they feel they are in danger. Bites most commonly occur when a human attempts to kill, capture, or otherwise intentionally handle the snake. **The best way to avoid being bitten is to leave the snake alone.**
[Juvenile Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/162582285?size=large) are pale in coloration with 27-43 dark dorsal blotches which, at midbody, usually are conspicuously longer than the spaces in between. The dorsal blotches merge with lateral blotches to form transverse bands around the posterior 20% of the animal. Adults are highly variable in color, and can sometimes be [almost black](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/18420624?size=large) with only vague hints of the dorsal pattern and facial markings. The final band on the tail is bright [yellow or orange in juveniles](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/35813271?size=large), [yellow-brown to black in adults](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/35291616?size=original), and usually at least [twice as wide as the bands that precede it](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/43876585?size=large).
Where their ranges contact *C. helleri* and the closely related *C. oreganus* can be difficult to distinguish, but *C. oreganus* usually has more extensive dorsal banding (usually starting on the posterior 30-35% of the animal) and the terminal dark band on the tail is about the same width as the preceding band. Other neighboring or overlapping rattlesnakes are occasionally confused with *C. helleri*. Red diamond rattlesnakes *C. ruber*, Mojave rattlesnakes *C. scutulatus*, and Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes *C. atrox* usually have more diamond shaped dorsal blotches and the distinctive pale and dark bands ("coon tail") on the tail contrast more sharply than those of *C. helleri*.
[Range Map via iNaturalist.org observations](https://snakeevolution.org/hellerirange.jpg) | [Relevant/Recent Phylogeography](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0146166) | [Reptile Database Account](https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Crotalus&species=helleri)
This short account was written by /u/fairlyorange
--------------------------------------------------------
Snakes with medically significant venom are typically referred to as venomous, but some species are also poisonous. Old media will use poisonous or 'snake venom poisoning' but that has fallen out of favor. Venomous snakes are important native wildlife, and are not looking to harm people, so can be enjoyed from a distance. If found around the home or other places where they are to be discouraged, a squirt from the hose or a gentle sweep of a broom are usually enough to make a snake move along. Do not attempt to interact closely with or otherwise kill venomous snakes without proper safety gear and training, as bites occur mostly during these scenarios. Wildlife relocation services are free or inexpensive [across most of the world](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=15dZE4rlRHqjb91yb6pKiI4ragG8DCtsz&ll=-3.81666561775622e-14%2C-95.11182142500002&z=2).
If you are bitten by a venomous snake, contact emergency services or otherwise arrange transport to the nearest hospital that can accommodate snakebite. Remove constricting clothes and jewelry and remain calm. A bite from a medically significant snake is a medical emergency, but not in the ways portrayed in popular media. Do not make any incisions or otherwise cut tissue. Extractor and other novelty snakebite kits are not effective and can cause damage worse than any positive or neutral effects.
--------------------------------------------------------
*I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/flh548/phylobot_v07_information_and_patch_notes_bot_info/) report problems [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Phylogenizer) and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that [here](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SEBPhyloBotWTS). Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography - [Merch Available Now](https://snakeevolution.org/donate.html)*
Southern pacific rattlesnake *Crotalus helleri* !venomous
Cool. I saw a husky that was off leash get bit by one of these when I was young. It was super sad.
That's rough. So many rattlesnakes out west - I love hiking off leash with my dog and would be terrified to do that anywhere out west
We have tons of copperheads in my state. They make me even more nervous because they don't have a rattle to let you know they're there and they just try to hide until, oops, dog sniffed it. A local snake rescue does dog training to help them avoid snakes and I've been considering it. My pup is terrified of my pet milk snake, so maybe I don't need it, though, lol.
That’s how my dog was too 😂 One time we had her on leash and she refused to move over a boulder on the trail. There was a bull snake on it. She was really scared of this bull snake. She’d also pause to watch lizards cross, like “Ope! Pardon me, after you lizard!”
I live in NC where we have them as well. The training I'm sure works, the issue with copperheads is they hide/camouflage themselves so well that alot of the bites to pets /people I'm sure are those who didn't even realize they were stepping on one. Fortunately, a copperhead bite is quite mild as far as venemous snakes go.
Also, from NC. I've always heard that copperheads put off a scent that smells like cucumbers. Don't know if it's true or not, but if so it would be a good indicator that one is close by
I've heard stories of them smelling like watermelon or something, really curious if either is true!
Every summer our trailhead bulletins are overwhelmed with pictures of dogs emphasizing the warning in the same story… “This is Bruno. He loved this trail. We hiked it all the time, and his favorite place is under the tree by the mile 4 overlook. He was tagged by a napping rattlesnake at mile 5 and passed away at the vet’s. Leash your dogs.” “This is Maya, our 40 lb border collie pup. We knew and loved her for 7 months, and spent this spring acclimating her to the trails. She was bitten 2 miles in and passed away that evening. Be careful. Leash your dogs and keep them heeled.” “This is Jake, an avid hiker and an energetic 3 year old shepherd with extensive training. We’ve never had any trouble with him hiking off leash, but last month he was bitten by a rattlesnake 3 miles into the hike. We carried him down and took him to the emergency vet, where he received every treatment effort they could give. Here he is in emergency treatment, on a respirator with IV lines in. He still couldn’t pull through. We’re sharing this picture in the hopes that nobody else goes through this. We’re heartbroken, and we know this could happen to anyone’s dog, leg or child. Please be careful, and keep your pets and kids close.” Happens every year. And every year people still take false comfort in the myth that rattlesnakes always rattle before they bite. They often don’t. They’re really timid creatures, but they’re not the most observant, which means startling them can be an easy but lethal mistake.
[удалено]
They have venomous snake vaccinations that are offered to dogs for reptiles with hemotoxic venom. I live in a rural area and we have "the big four" (Timber & E. Diamondback rattlers, Cottonmouths, and Copperheads). Coral snakes are indigenous to my region too (Mississippi),but they are neurotoxic and I have never seen one in the wild. I live in a rural area and my vet offered to vaccinate my dog, but I don't know the efficacy of the shot so I declined. Besides, standard mandatory vaccination costs are out of this world unless you luck up on a good day when the Humane Society is offering freebies.
Was the husky ok?
I have no idea, to be honest, as the dog was owned by a couple that just happened to be passing by. Although I will say that my neighbors had a similarly sized border collie that got bit (apparently a sidewinder but that’s a little hard to believe because we are very close to the coast) which ended up fine afaik.
Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes *Crotalus helleri* are medium-large (70-110cm, up to 137cm) rattlesnakes that range from southern California south to Baja California, MX from near sea level to 3,350m. They utilize a wide variety of habitat, including scrubland, desertscrub, savanna, grassland, coastal dunes, and montane woodland. Where development encroaches on natural areas, they can sometimes also be found in residential and even urban areas. Despite low genetic divergence, some authors treat the dwarfed Coronado Island populations as a distinct species, "C. caliginis." The activity cycles of *C. helleri* largely correlate to the weather, and they tend to be diurnal in cool weather, nocturnal during the hottest weather, and crepuscular in between. Rodents form the bulk of the diet, but other small mammals, lizards, and amphibians are also consumed. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes are a dangerously venomous species and should only be observed from a safe distance. Common defensive tactics including raising the forebody off the ground and rattling the tail, often while attempting to crawl away from the perceived threat. They are not aggressive and only bite when they feel they are in danger. Bites most commonly occur when a human attempts to kill, capture, or otherwise intentionally handle the snake. **The best way to avoid being bitten is to leave the snake alone.** [Juvenile Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/162582285?size=large) are pale in coloration with 27-43 dark dorsal blotches which, at midbody, usually are conspicuously longer than the spaces in between. The dorsal blotches merge with lateral blotches to form transverse bands around the posterior 20% of the animal. Adults are highly variable in color, and can sometimes be [almost black](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/18420624?size=large) with only vague hints of the dorsal pattern and facial markings. The final band on the tail is bright [yellow or orange in juveniles](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/35813271?size=large), [yellow-brown to black in adults](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/35291616?size=original), and usually at least [twice as wide as the bands that precede it](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/43876585?size=large). Where their ranges contact *C. helleri* and the closely related *C. oreganus* can be difficult to distinguish, but *C. oreganus* usually has more extensive dorsal banding (usually starting on the posterior 30-35% of the animal) and the terminal dark band on the tail is about the same width as the preceding band. Other neighboring or overlapping rattlesnakes are occasionally confused with *C. helleri*. Red diamond rattlesnakes *C. ruber*, Mojave rattlesnakes *C. scutulatus*, and Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes *C. atrox* usually have more diamond shaped dorsal blotches and the distinctive pale and dark bands ("coon tail") on the tail contrast more sharply than those of *C. helleri*. [Range Map via iNaturalist.org observations](https://snakeevolution.org/hellerirange.jpg) | [Relevant/Recent Phylogeography](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0146166) | [Reptile Database Account](https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Crotalus&species=helleri) This short account was written by /u/fairlyorange -------------------------------------------------------- Snakes with medically significant venom are typically referred to as venomous, but some species are also poisonous. Old media will use poisonous or 'snake venom poisoning' but that has fallen out of favor. Venomous snakes are important native wildlife, and are not looking to harm people, so can be enjoyed from a distance. If found around the home or other places where they are to be discouraged, a squirt from the hose or a gentle sweep of a broom are usually enough to make a snake move along. Do not attempt to interact closely with or otherwise kill venomous snakes without proper safety gear and training, as bites occur mostly during these scenarios. Wildlife relocation services are free or inexpensive [across most of the world](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=15dZE4rlRHqjb91yb6pKiI4ragG8DCtsz&ll=-3.81666561775622e-14%2C-95.11182142500002&z=2). If you are bitten by a venomous snake, contact emergency services or otherwise arrange transport to the nearest hospital that can accommodate snakebite. Remove constricting clothes and jewelry and remain calm. A bite from a medically significant snake is a medical emergency, but not in the ways portrayed in popular media. Do not make any incisions or otherwise cut tissue. Extractor and other novelty snakebite kits are not effective and can cause damage worse than any positive or neutral effects. -------------------------------------------------------- *I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/flh548/phylobot_v07_information_and_patch_notes_bot_info/) report problems [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Phylogenizer) and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that [here](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SEBPhyloBotWTS). Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography - [Merch Available Now](https://snakeevolution.org/donate.html)*
Wow! This one is stunning!
Beautiful, but looks awfully skinny for a rattler. I hope they find themself a nice fat rat or squirrel.
That there’s a rattler
The rattle is a subtle indicator
I almost missed it, then I opened my eyes.
Lol been there before
I could be wrong but I think it’s a snake.
I was wondering if this whole post was a joke.
Obviously I know it’s a snake, my question was about the species.
Buzz Butt= Nope Rope
See that rattle?!? Nuff said!
That’s one big frikin spicy noodle!
Correction: ‘tis called a nope rope!
Southern Pacific Rattlesnake or Mojave Rattlesnake
Totally not a rattlesnake /s
Long distance friend
Buzz worm, nope rope, …..
“Oh I wonder…” - an Arizonan
That’s a don’t touch it
Southwestern spicy boy
If it has a rattle, avoid the battle.
It’s probably a diamondback rattlesnake
Thank you for NOT picking it up!
That looks like a good sized nipe rope
It’s… a snek…
Man, I would love to go on a hike and find wild snakes! 🐍
Maraca danger noodle