Herpetological Myth Busting: Rattlesnakes

Crotalus atrox I photographed in Oklahoma

In the American West, the rattlesnake is feared by many people as a dangerous, threatening, and menacing creature that needs to be removed from the landscape. When rattlesnakes enter or are found near human settlements, often they are killed for the fear that they will seek out and harm the people living there. Even when found outside of human habitations, such as along a wilderness trail or horse path, they are killed on sight. If one goes to YouTube and performs a quick search on rattlesnakes, one can find a plethora of videos of everyday people ‘exterminating’ obviously distressed and frightened snakes, many of whom were simply found in the wrong place at the wrong time and were not posing a threat to the health of any people. Indeed, if one watches many of these videos, one will discover that these individuals are killing rattlesnakes out of a loathing fear of the animal, not because it was actually in danger of striking or being aggressive. Many of the snakes are actually trying to flee when found and considerable effort is undertaken in many instances to catch and kill the snake, more than would have been expended if the snake was simply allowed to leave. The myth that rattlesnakes strike people wantonly and unprovoked is one common in the western part of the country, and one that is leading to the unnecessary death of many snakes. Trepidation of snakes is a common fear among many people; a lot of individuals simply do not like snakes. Indeed, the fear of snakes seems to be one that is innate among humans, or at least its prevalence would suggest so. However, the natural fear of snakes is intensified when applied to potentially dangerous species such as the rattlesnakes. Venomous snakes worldwide are generally vilified, stemming from the fact that a bite from one of these snakes could potentially be lethal. However, especially in the case of the rattlesnakes, one must agitate or threaten the snakes in some way to run of the risk of being bitten. Simply encountering a snake does not mean it will bite you. The myth also exists among many people that getting bitten by a venomous snake in the United States is equivalent to receiving a death sentence. In fact, only 5-6 people a year die from snakebites out of the approximately 7-8,000 that are bitten by a venomous snake. This is because most areas in the United States have good, close medical care available, and a lot of facilities in the West especially have antivenin on stock. In fact, you are nine times more likely to die from being struck by lightning than to die from a snake bite. 


http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/venomous_snake_faqs.shtml


The fear that many people have about the prevalence and lethality of snakebites simply is not factual. Two summers ago, I had a field job in Oklahoma that required me to work long hours traversing wild areas. Daily, I was in prime habitat for western diamondback rattlesnakes, Crotalus atrox. In three full months, I only encountered rattlesnakes a handful of times, and several of those instances were when I actually dedicated time to find them deliberately. Still, in every encounter I found the snakes be afraid of me, and most of the time both parties would simply continue on their way. Not once was I ever struck at or felt threatened by them. Walking in these areas, it was prudent to take care, but I was never scared of losing my life to a rattlesnake. I always enjoyed my encounters with these venomous snakes, and as long as respect was shown to them, it was never a problem. If more people displaced their myths and fears with facts and knowledge, many rattlesnakes would be spared from a useless and ignorant death. See video below.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkiA4Hhrjuo&feature=related