Rattlesnake Warning

Old CW4

Old CW4

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Just read a brief study from the Texas area where it's been recently noted that rattlesnakes in areas heavily populated by domestic and/or feral hogs have stopped rattling.

Apparently the snakes are adapting/evolving to an awareness that their rattling attracts hogs who then have a snake brunch, lunch, or dinner.

When I was a farm boy in Arkansas, we had several acres of extremely thick hay meadow below the farm pond. For whatever reason, the meadow would become infested with rattlers just before the hay mowing season in late August and early September. Our 'cure' was to run a couple of strands of wire around the meadow down low, hook the wires to a battery powered fence charger, then turn several hogs into the meadow. It usually took them only two or three days to run down every snake and kill and eat them. We never had a hog killed or, to my recollection, even made sick from snake venom and I saw the hogs with multiple bite marks. Later in life, I was told that hogs are virtually immune to snake venom. I don't know if that's true or not but I know ours never seemed to be harmed and they were real snake hunters/eaters. BTW, I had one real close call when driving a mule drawn mower and the sickle bar clipped into a 'ball' of rattlesnakes. The mules stampeded with snakes and snake parts flying everywhere, the sickle bar was bouncing up and down, and I was trying to dismount the mower and bail off behind it so as not to fall into the sickle blades. Ain't never forgot that one.

Anyway, rattlers in hog areas have apparently learned not to make noise to avoid becoming hog prey so it behooves us to be more cautious.
 
We would always use hogs to get rid of snakes as well. I have heard that the fat immobilizes the venom, but I don't know. They slurp down rattlers like they are spaghetti! :D It's fun to watch!
 
I don't live there, but several people do. Thank you for the headsup and info, it could really save someone a bad day. Thanks again. Moose
 
Never depend on a rattlesnake to rattle before they strike. The rattle IS quite un-nerving however when you aren't expecting it. Keep your eyes open when you walk in tall grass and places that you have trouble seeing where you are stepping in snake country.
 
Most of the ones I come across haven't rattled either. Even whenthey get in the S coil they rarely seem to rattle. I wish they'd use their God given warning more often!
 
Most that I have encountered in the Sierras have rattled loudly, but I did encounter one this summer that would not rattle no matter how hard we tried to make it do so (with long sticks).
 
My buddy is a great herp guy. We found this one under a mattress. We put her back. She never rattled at all. It was approx 70 degrees, and we woke her from her den. We went there looking for any kind of snakes, and under a dumped mattress, she was there. She did not rattle at all and was real calm.
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I enjoy a chance encounter with any type of snakes. I almost stepped on a rattler while dove hunting near the Salton Sea. I did shoot that one, but I pretty much try to give them a wide berth. They usually try to go away. My dog has been immunized this year.
 
Copperheads and Cotton Mouths are just as problematic if they bite you and they can't rattle. But the study is certainly interesting.
 
Very interesting and scary. The last time I came across one here in Baton Rouge was on a bike trail. and it rattled very loudly. Is it just certain areas that this is being noticed, or it all over?
 
Central California has had this problem for years out around the Hollister, Tres Pinos areas where feral hogs and wild hogs have had there way for a while. The Greens where I live don't rattle much either and they are both fast and aggressive all bad traits for hikers.

Good info on Tejas.
 
There have always been rattlesnakes that don't seem to rattle. Add predators that react negatively to the rattle (ie, attack rather than retreat), and it won't take long for the genes that inhibit rattling to make up a majority of the local population.

Basic natural selection at work.
 
Rattlesnake venom, for the most part is hemotoxic. It attacks with focus, blood, veinous tissue and other tissues so that it may spread. Fat cells are very minimally affected by the venom. I assume that the layer of fat around a pig would act as a great shield to the snake venom. But! I would be willing to bet that most pigs get bit on the snout or head. If that is the case, they must have a degree of natural immunity. I'll see what I can find...
 
i recently killed one on my property after almost stepping on it.a timber rattler to be exact.it never rattled once,not even after i decapitated it.it freaked me out pretty bad.4 and a half foot with 16 rattles and a button.
 
last coupal of months we have been moving thru several miles of pecan & bodark jungle to visit areas on the san gabriel river about 60 miles from austin .there are many vines & it's so thick most people do'nt go in more than a 1/4 mile to fish. loaded with hogs & i remarked to my buddy yesterday that the only reason [after walking many miles thru this tangle] that we had'nt seen a rattler, mosscain or copperhead was that the hogs had eaten them all. no vehicles are allowed so hogs are left alone since no one wants to drag 2 or 3 hundred pounds 2 or more miles to their vehicle. we just enjoy popping turyles & carp but have'nt seen even a bullsnake.
 
DennisStrickland said:
last coupal of months we have been moving thru several miles of pecan & bodark jungle to visit areas on the san gabriel river about 60 miles from austin .there are many vines & it's so thick most people do'nt go in more than a 1/4 mile to fish. loaded with hogs & i remarked to my buddy yesterday that the only reason [after walking many miles thru this tangle] that we had'nt seen a rattler, mosscain or copperhead was that the hogs had eaten them all. no vehicles are allowed so hogs are left alone since no one wants to drag 2 or 3 hundred pounds 2 or more miles to their vehicle. we just enjoy popping turyles & carp but have'nt seen even a bullsnake.
Click to expand...

Dennis,

What does this mean?

Just curious... I am assuming you meant popping turtles and carp, but what does popping mean?
 
G'day Old CW4

Old CW4 said:
Just read a brief study from the Texas area where it's been recently noted that rattlesnakes in areas heavily populated by domestic and/or feral hogs have stopped rattling.....

.....Apparently the snakes are adapting/evolving to an awareness that their rattling attracts hogs who then have a snake brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Click to expand...

It will be interesting to see if the lack of rattling is a behavioural adaptation (ie a learned response) or a physiological adaptation. For example rattlers with a genetic mutation (that prevents them from rattling) are able to survive longer in the presence of pigs and therefore stand a better chance of passing on the mutation to their offspring. Resulting in more of the localised rattler population showing the non rattling mutation.

I guess time & further study might provide the answer.



Kind regards
Mick
 
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