Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Description:

Brown snake with diamonds down the back. This series is showing how we safely work up venomous snakes for research.

Habitat:

Found on the road in thorn scrub area. Brought him inside to take research data, then was released back where we caught him at afterwards.

Notes:

The third photo shows how we get the snake in the tube, it takes a lot of patience as you have to wait for the snake to go in the tube by itself. The first photo is just looking down in the tube at the snake, pretty cool being able to see them up close like that. The second photo just shows one of the advantages of having the snake in the tube, you can then examine them closer and especially cool to see the rattle up close. Then the last photo shows it in what we call a squeeze box, which is how we figure out the length of the snake. The snake is put between a foam block and a piece of plexiglass, then pressed down on and a line is drawn on the curve of his back on the plexiglass. Then a string is put along the line, then held up to a soft measuring tape. The snake is not harmed in any of this process and people are kept out of harms way.