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Project Noah Nature School
Crotalus adamanteus
On an overcast and humid day, I observed a large snake (around 5 feet long) slithering across the bleached asphalt of a highway. It appeared to avoid the hot road surface by moving toward the greenery.
It was spotted on the Tamiami Trail, which traverses the Everglades and is a swampy and tropical environment.
This was the first time I'd seen a venomous snake in the wild. There were multiple road signs marked "wildlife X-ing," and for good reason! Although I could not approach the rattler in the middle of traffic, this was a rewarding and unexpected encounter, as there's nothing like the majesty of a formidable snake. Its maximum strike radius would be an estimated 2.5 feet.
Spotted on Dec 24, 2015
Submitted on May 6, 2019
7 Comments
Thanks so much, Neil!
That's a beautiful 'first encounter' with a wild snake, Mauna. What an awesome experience, and such a beautiful animal too. Great notes, and messages between yourself an Tukup.
That's very impressive! 😮
For 25 years we had an exhibit/rescue in our house with 30-50 snakes. Instead of killing the snakes, the Indians would bring them to me. I could explain, teach, etc, keep one of each for educational purposes and release them when I got another or ran out of food. Of over 5,200 snake I handled, 1200 were Vipers/Lanceheads. I got very good at estimating their striking reach 😊 Fascinating creatures for sure. Your rattlesnakes remind me of some of them.
Hahah, I didn't know that they could either. Thanks for the chuckle, Tukup!
A lancehead? That must've been exciting.
Nice Mauna. I didn't know snakes could read the Wildlife X-ing signs. Smarter than I thought 😊 Excellent spotting. Too bad it was in traffic so you couldn't get closer. Yes, most snakes can only strike half their body length. Our lanceheads are the only ones I know that strike so hard they can exceed that by a fair bit. Thanks for sharing another snake foto. I figure any day I find a snake is a good day 😊
I think this is 2.5 ft.