Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings

Rattlesnakes are pit vipers and are found in various parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico. In Central and South America they are almost everywhere where there is wilderness. Contrary to the popular idea, rattlesnakes don't deliberately hunt humans - their natural diet consists of rats and mice, ground squirrels, small birds, frogs, and even the occasional fleshy insect. At the same time, a snake has the instinct to protect itself - when you think about it, a snake is a very fragile creature with no legs, ears or a large size. So poison has become her main defense mechanism, injected via sharp fangs as soon as prey or threats come close. As such, the duty really rests on yourself to behave responsibly and alertly. Be careful, safe and secure.

To step

1. Know your slang. Is it a rattlesnake or some other kind of snake? If you don't know, then you better not stick around to find out, and if you can't see anything without getting closer, don't even consider getting closer. But knowing what the snake looks like could be helpful for a number of reasons, the most important of which is knowing what to do if you or someone in your group is bitten. From a safe distance, note the following:
   • A flat, triangular head (although this is not sufficient to identify the snake) - wider at the base of the head than at the front.
   • A heavy body.
   • Openings between the nostrils and eyes - these are the heat-sensitive groove organs.
   • Covered eyes and elliptical pupils - these may not be obvious and you will have to get pretty close to see them.
   • Coloring - Generally mottled brown; however, the Mohave rattlesnake is green, with light bands across its tail. If you can see these bands with the naked eye, then you are probably too close.
   • A rattle at the end of the tail (consisting of adapted scales). Young rattlesnakes often only have a few parts of the rattle - be extra careful, as newborns bites are already poisonous. A rattle can also be broken, misshapen, or silent. Don't rely on the ratchet as your only form of identification. Hear the sound of the rattle with this recording from the San Diego Zoo: Rattlesnake Sound Byte.
2. Consider when you are most likely to encounter a rattlesnake. You may encounter rattlesnakes when hiking, climbing, camping, or even viewing a tourist landmark.
   • Most rattlesnakes like hot environments, with some prefer desert climates and others, such as the eastern diamond rattlesnake, prefer humid climates. Most live in the southern United States and Mexico, although some are found in the desert regions of Canada's Badlands in Alberta, and in British Columbia around Hedley, Keremeos and Osoyoos.
   • Rattlesnakes love summer evenings the most, just when the sun sets and after sunset - they are most active during summer evenings and nights. This happens to coincide with the reduced visibility of humans when the sun goes down, so watch out. Use a flashlight when walking around and wear good footwear.
   • Rattlesnakes like warm days, period. Regardless of the season, even in winter, a rattlesnake can venture outside in search of warmth - a pleasant air temperature for rattlesnakes is around 21 ° to 32 ° C).
   • Most rattlesnakes won't stay in a clearing for long - if they are in a clearing, they will be moving most of the time. Rattlesnakes want to avoid contact with predators, including humans and large animals, that can easily see them in a clearing. As such, you will likely find them near rocks, bushes and other low vegetation, or wherever there are nooks for them to hide under. However, on sunny days you can find rattlesnakes warming themselves on warm stones or asphalt.
3. Dress appropriately. When in rattlesnake land, don't be blasé about clothing - most bites occur on the hands, feet, and ankles. So aside from keeping your hands where they shouldn't be, clothing is an important protection:
   • Leave the sandals at home - now is the time for good quality heavy hiking boots and decent socks. Ankle boots are best as ankle bites are common.Do not wear sandals, open-toed shoes, or bare feet while hiking in the desert. There are more things than rattlesnakes that a foolish walker can fall victim to.
   • Wear long, wide pants.
   • Consider using leggings, especially if you choose not to wear long pants.
4. Behave appropriately while hiking, climbing or trekking. When in rattlesnake territory, think like a rattlesnake, taking into account how they may behave so you can act accordingly:
   • Always walk with at least one other person. When you are alone and get bitten, you are really in deep trouble. Bring a mobile phone that works and let family or friends know about your intended walk, which route you will take and how long it will take.
   • Stay away from the hose. The easiest way to prevent rattlesnakes is to stay away from them. Stay alert while walking, running and climbing. Stay on frequently used routes and don't stray into undergrowth, tall grass and weeds where rattlesnakes can hide.
   • Keep your hands away from the wrong places. While walking, do not reach with your hands in holes, around or under rocks and ledges, or even under brush. These are the main hiding places for rattlesnakes. When hiking, it is best to bring a sturdy staff, or at least a long, sturdy, and light stick, to avoid getting your hands on areas where snakes can hide.
   • Do not sit on a stump or fallen tree trunk without first checking the inside. Before you know it, you will be sitting on a rattlesnake ...
   • Step on obstacles and not over them. When you find logs and rocks in your way, it is wise to step on the obstacle instead of immediately over it. This way you can spot a rattlesnake that has taken shelter underneath it and quickly get out of its vicinity.
   • Watch before you jump. Pay attention to where you land with your feet. Putting a foot right next to or on top of a snake is asking to be bitten. Snakes rely on vibrations to hear, and while they can know you're coming if you've pounded loud enough, they can't get out of the way fast enough if you're running fast along a path and give few warnings that you're coming.
   • While walking, carry a stick and hit bushes and undergrowth before walking on or near them to scare away snakes. They will immediately hide under bushes or dense grass, so don't put your feet in or on those places! If you have to enter such shelters, poke some with your stick first so the snake has a chance to get away.
   • Get out of the way. When walking within reach of a rattlesnake, retrace your steps as slowly and as quickly as you can.
   • Be wary of water. Rattlesnakes can swim. Anything resembling a long stick could be a rattlesnake.
   • Try not to provoke a rattlesnake. Making a snake angry will result in one reaction - you become the snake's target. Remember this - a snake will defend itself against an attack in such a case, and if you poke the animal with sticks, throw stones, kick or do stupid things around it, you are asking for trouble. Worse still, there may even be a difference in the venom of an angry rattlesnake and one that responds in surprise in self-defense - the toxicity can be increased, while a startled rattlesnake may only bite without injecting venom (possibly, but not sure). Regardless of the poison's strength, an angry rattlesnake is more likely to keep attacking.
   • Leave the snake alone. Many people are bitten in a "heroic" attempt to make the world a tricky snake poorer. Apart from the fact that a snake is not a nuisance, the snake will bite to defend itself. Live and let live - keep your distance and allow the animal to slip away. And be warned - there is a reason for the saying "Mad as a carved snake" - a wounded snake is a very, very dangerous enemy.
5. Be vigilant when camping. There are risks when camping that you have to take into account.
   • Check the camping spot before you go camping. Arrive in daylight and set everything up in daylight. On warm nights, rattlesnakes can still hang out, and if you can't see what you're doing, you're in danger.
   • Close the flap of the tent at night when camping in rattlesnake grounds, otherwise you might wake up with a very unwanted surprise. Always check before going to bed that no unwanted guest (s) have settled in, attracted by the heat or interesting opportunities to hide in a tent.
   • Make sure everyone using the tent keeps the flap closed constantly when entering and exiting.
   • Shake out sleeping bags before crawling in. Many inattentive sleepers have awakened unpleasantly.
   • Be careful when collecting firewood. Piles of wood are an ideal hiding place for rattlesnakes.
   • Use a flashlight at all times on night walks.
6. Know that you are responsible for all the children around you. Children are naturally curious and spontaneous. While useful in a safe environment, these properties can lead to injury in a hazardous environment. Make sure young children understand the dangers of rattlesnakes, what not to do and how to behave to avoid a rattlesnake encounter and how to behave when they do encounter a rattlesnake. In a group of walkers with children, an adult should always lead the way and preferably another adult should form the rear guard.
7. Obey the warning signs! This means that of the snake and that of the people in charge of issuing a warning of the presence of rattlesnakes:
   • Recognize the signs that a rattlesnake will strike. These are common signals, and sometimes there can be an attack without them, as a rattlesnake can bite from any position:
     • A coiled rattlesnake - the coil gives the rattlesnake the ability to strike most effectively
     • The front of his body (the head) is lifted
     • His rattle shakes and makes a rattling noise
   • Just to make life a little more difficult, it is important to realize that rattlesnakes do not, if not always, use their rattle to warn of an impending attack. For example, if you step on it before the animal has time to rattle, it will bite first and then rattle. And sometimes the animal just won't rattle, as an extra defense during molting, during mating and birth. Or they choose to rely on their color for camouflage, only to realize that this is not going to work to protect themselves from approaching human feet. Also, wet rattlesnakes don't rattle. There must be at least two segments to make a rattling sound, which will keep young rattlesnakes from making a rattling sound until the segments have grown, but they remain just as poisonous. Be aware of these possibilities. However, if you hear the rattle, you have been clearly warned - so keep your distance.
   • Heed the signs of park rangers and other wildlife park authorities. Like the sign in the photo, if you are warned by the local park authorities that there are rattlesnakes in the area, take the appropriate precautions as outlined above.
8. Know the attack range of a rattlesnake. A rattlesnake attack can cover a distance from one third to half its total length. It is better not to underestimate the length of a rattlesnake, and a rattlesnake can have a longer reach than you might expect. A rattlesnake's attack is faster than the human eye can follow.
9. Stay calm if you or someone else is bitten. If you do get bitten by a rattlesnake, the most important thing is to really stay calm - moving around wildly will spread the poison more quickly throughout your body. The essence is that you stay calm, move as little as possible and go to the hospital as soon as possible. This prevents the poison from spreading. Hold the bite lower than the victim's heart (so don't hold the bite high; otherwise it will speed up blood circulation and thus spread the venom), wash the affected area and remove any restrictions, such as rings (which can lead to swelling) to reduced blood flow and tissue death). For more information on the procedure for dealing with a rattlesnake bite, see the article [Treating a Snakebite | Treating a snake bite].
10. Go through these steps for each trip through rattlesnake terrain. Share the information with those traveling with you to remind them of the need to remain cautious, calm, and alert to what may lie.

Tips

• Most snakebite incidents occur between April and October, the months during which rattlesnakes are most active.
• Don't let your dog roam knee-high or higher grass in the wilderness. Snakes also bite dogs, and dogs die more often than humans when bitten because they are smaller.
• According to many sources, more people die from wasps and bee stings in the United States than from rattlesnake bites.
• The Santa Catalina Island rattlesnake is a rattlesnake that rattles less; the animal lacks the usual rattle segments.
• If you are trying to remove a rattlesnake from your backyard (e.g. if you live in the US), call the professionals instead. Keep calm if you encounter a snake in your backyard - not panicking is essential to dealing with any dangerous situation.
• Most people find snakes scary. However, it helps to understand the ecological niche that snakes fill. Above all, snakes control rodent populations that might otherwise infest many places, destroying crops and food supplies, and spreading disease. The removal of the snakes from their native habitat is often followed by an increase in the number of rodents. Rattlesnakes are also a source of food for other predators.
• Sometimes smaller snakes crawl unseen in boats, such as kayaks. If this happens to you, keep very calm and sail to shore. Get out of the boat and gently help the snake out of your boat with a paddle or long stick.
• It is a myth that juvenile rattlesnakes are more poisonous than adult snakes. The venom glands are much larger in adults, so even if the juvenile rattlesnake empties its venom glands, they don't produce half as much venom as supplied by an adult snake.

Warnings

• You shouldn't cut, suck, or drain snake bites - these are old-fashioned methods that have been proven not to work.
• Don't pick up anything that looks like a dead rattlesnake. The animal may be fast asleep or may not be moving in a way that is visible to your eye. Just leave the animal alone.
• Pavement stays warm after sunset. Rattlesnakes can make their way to a warm road or sidewalk on a cool evening to keep warm. Be careful after sunset when walking on paved roads or sidewalks.
• Never pick up a freshly killed rattlesnake. It can bite reflexively, even if it is dead.
• Don't buy a hose kit; they don't work.
• Never apply a tourniquet to a limb bitten by a snake. It can lead to necrosis and loss of limbs. Keep calm and get medical attention.
• Rattlesnakes are protected in many areas. Do not kill them unless the situation immediately endangers humans or pets. It's pointless, and it could land you in jail for killing or injuring a protected animal.