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rattlesnake mixup ?
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by nightwolf on December 30, 2006
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I was checking out some Arizona wildlife on webshots , and ran into a pic I believe is a western diamondback , but somebody was calling it a praire rattler .I ran into the same thing years ago in west texas , while working on a couple ranches there . I could be wrong , sure not an expert anything , but is this a common goof ? If you're interested go to webshots , type arizona wildlife into their search engine , find the pix and see what you think .I'd be interested in opinions other than my own .
Kenny
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RE: rattlesnake mixup ?
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by GREGLONGHURST on December 30, 2006
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Little help...what page is it on? Without seeing it, I can tell you this much...the site is full of pictures taken by amateur photographers. Most are still learning how to use a camera, and have not gotten around to learning snake identification yet.
~~Greg~~
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RE: rattlesnake mixup ?
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by Cro on December 30, 2006
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Perhaps the photo Kenny is talking about is this one:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2511583900089791313dCVgWd
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: rattlesnake mixup ?
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by nightwolf on December 30, 2006
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I don't remember the page # , I can go look it up again . Just how many rattlesnakes have black & white bands on their tails ? Cut some slack , I don't bring much in the way of knowlege , just a big (life long) interest. I'll go look that page up and get back to this.
Kenny
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RE: rattlesnake mixup ?
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by nightwolf on December 30, 2006
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My goof , I found it when I put " arizona desert " into the search , down a bit , left collumn of pics , sorry , page 6. http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2741437090036255222mBPXcZ
Just for the general peace of mind , experienced or not I won't be keeping hot , or any snakes , because my wife is terrified of them .
Kenny
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RE: rattlesnake mixup ?
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by Cro on December 30, 2006
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Kenny, you are right about the photo of the snake taken at the Arizona Sonora Museum not being a Prairie Rattlesnake.
However, it also is not a Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake.
Two rattlesnakes in Arizona have the Black and White tail bands. One is the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, in which the bands are Roughly equal in width. The other is the Mohave Rattlesnake, in which the black tail bands are Usually narrower than the white bands. The snake in the photo has narrower black bands.
Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes are Gray or Tan, while Mohave Rattlesnakes are Green, Gray, or Tan.
Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes have a light stripe that starts at the back of the eye and runs down accross the lip. Mohave Rattlesnakes have a light stripe that starts at the back of the eye, and runs beyond the corner of the mouth.
The Western Diamond-backed rattlesnake has small scales on the top of the head that separate the larger supraocular scales. The Mohave Rattlesnake has 2 large scales on the top of the head that seperate the larger supraocular scales.
Based on these differences, it would rule out the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, and leave the snake in the photo as a Mohave Rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus.
The snake in the photo does have somewhat unusual coloration for a Mohave Rattlesnake. The blotches are high black, while lighter colored blotches are more normal. Also, the snake in the photo has a mostly green background color, while a lot of these snakes tend to be more greenish gray or greenish tan. Also, the top of the head is a high black, which is also somewhat unusual.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: rattlesnake mixup ?
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by nightwolf on December 30, 2006
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I'm not familiar with the Mojave at all , but have run into westerns . I can see the differences you mention , thanks . I'll be moving my family down there in a few months , so would like to learn a little more . I'll be goin out to visit the snakes , and get pics of them . Once I start getting a few pics I'll likely have more questions , hope that's ok .
Kenny
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RE: rattlesnake mixup ?
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by GREGLONGHURST on December 30, 2006
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Kenny: Sorry about that "lack of slack". I was just a little flummoxed after going thru ten pages without seeing the animal & then discovering there were at least twenty more pages of stuff to go thru. John has nailed it. That is definitely a Mojave, not a prairie.
~~Greg~~
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by nightwolf on December 30, 2006
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Oh , I didn't take it as a lack of slack , I just wanted to make it plain how little I know about this subject . I ran into a good number of buzzers years ago in Texas , mostly WDB's I THINK , but I wasn't tryin to learn then , not like now anyway .Appreciate the help !
Kenny
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by Cro on December 30, 2006
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Kenny, ask all the questions you want! That is what this site is all about. Questions and answers posted here help educate thousands of people, not just the folks who asked the questions.
You might notice that Greg spelled the snakes common name "Mojave" and I spelled it "Mohave." Well, both are right, and both are in common usage. I actually like the older "Mojave" spelling better, but the more modern references are starting to use "Mohave" for some reason. Might be one of those politically correct things, LOL !
These snakes are often called "scutes" by snake hunters, which is short for "scutalutus."
The venom of these snakes is particuarlly dangerous, as it has neurotoxic and cardiotoxic factors that the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake does not have. It is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in the country because of this.
Best Regards JohnZ
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