WILDLIFE WEDNESDAY: It's Reptile Season!
We’re all abuzz about rattlers
I always get excited when I start seeing rattlesnakes around the yard again. Not in the oh-look-there-are-baby-quail-they-are-so-cute kind of excited, but the I-better-not-wear-flipflops-out-in-the-yard kind of excited.
A sidewinder dances across a road. (Video: Mary Kay Sherry)
Situational awareness is everything, and I keep such a close eye on my feet that I’ve probably missed seeing a dozen desert tortoises when I walk outside. Even so, I’ve twice stepped right over speckled rattlesnakes chilling in gravel while I hiked in the park. Rattlesnakes blend in with rocks, dirt, and vegetation around them because many are ambush hunters waiting for lizards, mice, or birds to wander by.
Some rattlesnakes also actively hunt, and last week I watched a speckled rattler look for baby birds and eggs—to the great distress of a pair of black-throated sparrows.
Black-throated sparrows upset at a hunting speckled rattlesnake. (Video: Kat Talley-Jones)
The park has seven species of rattlesnakes (listed here). The three I see around Twentynine Palms are Mohave Desert Sidewinders, Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes, and Northern Mohave Rattlesnakes, aka the Mojave Green. All are venomous. But one herpetologist said:
Rattlesnakes are also among the most reasonable forms of dangerous wildlife: their first line of defense is to remain motionless; if you surprise them or cut off their retreat, they offer an audio warning; if you get too close, they head for cover. Venom is intended for prey so they're reluctant to bite, and 25 to 50 percent of all bites are dry—no venom is injected. 1
I don’t intend to get bitten by a rattlesnake, but maybe I’ll get nailed the third time I step over a speckled. I learned in NOLS wilderness first aid training to carry a Sharpie in my backpack to write the time of a bite near the puncture wound. There are a lot of myths about what to do; my phone is my best tool to call 911 as soon as I have a signal. (Texting on a Garmin InReach or other device is good too.) EMTs will be able to find the closest hospital that has antivenin in stock.
People with dogs (aversion training here) and small children need to be more cautious, of course; in both cases, education makes a big difference, and if all else fails, a rattler around the house can be removed—preferably by a licensed professional found through referrals on Facebook or NextDoor.
My former Los Angeles Natural History Museum colleague, Dr. Greg Pauly, wrote that we shouldn’t let fear of rattlesnakes keep us from going outside and that we are more likely to be killed by a dog or by lightning.
If you do come across a venomous snake, let it be. This seems so obvious, yet it is likely that more than half of the venomous snakebites in the U.S. happen because people didn’t follow this commonsense practice. Take a few steps back and then take some photos. Enjoy the opportunity to see such a beautiful animal.
Keep an eye out for these wondrous creatures and be respectful of them. Rattlesnake season is pretty short, and we can learn a lot watching these fascinating reptiles.
A spiny lizard courageously keeps an eye on a speckled rattlesnake that had been basking on the porch. (Video: Kat Talley-Jones)
Leslie Anthony. Snakebit: Confessions of a Herpetologist. Greystone Books, 2008. Also check out Emily Taylor, California Snakes and How to Find Them. Heyday Books, 2024. “California is a perfect state for snakes.”
Thank you for sharing your wildlife photos and videos; we’ll include them in a feature soon. Always looking for more Twentynine Palms wildlife. Email your files to deserttrumpet29@gmail.com
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We see the lovely snake patterns in the sands!
I no longer look up as I walk out here where I live. If I want to see around, I stop to do so. I say this because of too many sidewinders and their near total blending into the area where I may be walking.