Rattlesnakes Thrive in Iowa Prairie

Iowa? Really?

Cool.

Hi sozobe

We keep learning. I had never heard of a dry bite before this article.

Bob

Yeah, that's really interesting! I thought it was just automatic, bite=venom.

My mother actually saw one on a hike in the Blue Hills some years ago. On a whim I did a search and found this.

The Blue Hills Trail (Historic Trail - Milton, MA)

Offers 125 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. They are part of a 7,000 acre state reservation, which is owned and operated by the Massachusetts "Department of Conservation and Recreation" (DCR), formerly the MDC. The hills are located in Boston, Braintree, Canton, Dedham, Randolph, Milton, and Quincy. From the stone observation tower on top of the Great Blue Hill you can view the Boston Skyline, Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, Mountains to the north in New Hampshire and all the way to Cape Cod. You can purchase a trail map at the Reservation Headquarters or at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum in Milton. This is also one of the few places in Massachusetts where seldom seen timber rattlesnakes live, so keep an eye out for them. The "Witch Trail Committee" offers two hiking patches and two hiking medals for a 2 mile and an 8 mile hike that you can buy for Scout awards. This is a great place for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts to go hiking near Boston and it's very easy to get to!

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
Blue Hills Reservation Headquarters
695 Hillside Street, Milton, MA 02186
TEL: 617-698-1802

We have them in Connecticut. I came nose to snout with one once in Gay City State Park in Hebron Connecticut while clearing a site of brush for an archaeological excavation. It scared the bejeezus out of me, and I it. We "retired" with aclacrity in opposite directions.

Dry bites from adult rattlers are usually the rule rather than the exception (about 90%) unless they feel very threatened or are actually seeking prey. Baby rattlers on the other hand (usually yearlings or less) have not yet learned to control their venom output with any bite and will usually expel all of their venom every time. It's kind of a catch 22 with rattlers this way. While potentially adults produce more venom and babies less venom, the babies bites are actually more deadly than any adults.

Just my 2 cents on dry bites.

This high rate of dry bites is of interest to me as I conduct natural history programs. Could you cite a source?

Snake Envenomations, Rattle
Last Updated: November 2, 2004
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Synonyms and related keywords: Crotalus species, Sistrurus species

AUTHOR INFORMATION Section 1 of 11 Click here to go to the next section in this topic
Author Information Introduction Clinical Differentials Workup Treatment Medication Follow-up Miscellaneous Pictures Bibliography

Author: Sean P Bush, MD, FACEP, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine

Sean P Bush, MD, FACEP, is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Wilderness Medical Society

Editor(s): Robert Norris, MD, Chief, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center; John T VanDeVoort, PharmD, Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota; James S Walker, DO, Program Coordinator, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; John Halamka, MD, Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and Raymond J Roberge, MD, MPH, FAAEM, FACMT, Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Magee-Women's Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Disclosure
INTRODUCTION Section 2 of 11 Click here to go to the previous section in this topic Click here to go to the top of this page Click here to go to the next section in this topic
Author Information Introduction Clinical Differentials Workup Treatment Medication Follow-up Miscellaneous Pictures Bibliography

Background: Rattlesnakes are pit vipers and include the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus. Pit vipers may be identified by a heat-sensing pit anteroinferior to the eye, elliptical pupils, a triangular head and undivided subcaudal scales. Rattlesnakes may be identified in all but one species by a rattle at the tip of the tail. Rattlesnakes are found from North to South America.

Pathophysiology: Venom is usually injected into subcutaneous tissue via hollow movable fangs located in the anterior mouth. Occasionally, intramuscular or intravenous injection occurs. Rattlesnake venom is generally composed of several digestive enzymes and spreading factors, which result in local and systemic injury. Clinically, local effects most commonly predominate, progressing from pain and edema to ecchymosis and bullae. Hematologic abnormalities, including benign defibrination with or without thrombocytopenia, may result, but severe generalized bleeding is uncommon. Local or diffuse myotoxicity may result in complications such as compartment syndrome or rhabdomyolysis. Other general effects include shock, fasciculations, taste changes, and vomiting. Rarely, direct cardiotoxicity or allergy to venom may occur. Some rattlesnakes may exhibit neurotoxicity with minimal local tissue effects (see Snake Envenomations, Mojave Rattle).

Frequency:

* In the US: Approximately 7500 reptile bites were reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) in 2001. However, this figure is probably conservative because of underreporting. Rattlesnakes cause the majority of all bites by identified venomous snakes in the United States. Dry bite (ie, no envenomation) occurs in as many as 50% of strikes.

* Internationally: An estimated 300,000-400,000 venomous snakebites occur per year. While rattlesnakes are not found naturally outside of North, Central, and South America, they are imported into zoos, museums, and private collections in other regions of the world.

Mortality/Morbidity: Fewer than half a dozen deaths occur per year as a result of snakebite in the United States; most are caused by rattlesnake bites. Estimates of deaths each year from snakebite range from 30,000-110,000 worldwide. Up to 5 times as many individuals experience permanent morbidity.

Sex: Males are bitten more commonly than females.

Age: Young adults are bitten most commonly.

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic540.htm

I hear they taste like chicken.

FRIED RATTLESNAKE


1 large rattlesnake, cleaned
1 qt. water
Dash of tarragon
4 tbsp. salt
Dash of thyme
1/8 tsp. paprika
Oil
1 cup flour

Soak rattlesnake carcass for 2 hours in salt water. Rinse and dry meat well. Cut meat into chunks to fry. Coat each piece with mixture of flour, paprika, pepper, tarragon, and thyme. Fry chunks of prepared rattler in oil until golden brown.

R

tastes just like chicken

I found these facts interesting, but incomplete:



I'd add:

Sobriety: Many snake bites occur (particularly on the face and neck) when the "victim" has been drinking heavily.

The theory is that rattlesnakes don't bother wasting venom as victim very often is already brain dead.

Bob,

You are a gem for the doing the legwork and finding out the exact statistics from a scientific standpoint. My own source is having kept rattlers personally and observing their behaviour in a captive state.
Very rarely would I see and adult expel venom if they struck at the venom shield I used when the cage doors were open. Most of the time they would not strike at all, but just warn with their rattles. The babies on the other hand, always rattled and then struck rapidly, leaving venom residue on the shield every time. I also admit, this was a very limited study, as I only had about 8 hots and only for a period of about 5 years.

God only knows how, but one Northern Pacific baby rattler escaped once and bit two of my very curious cats. Luckily the cats were fairly quick and each only ended up with one fang puncture. They both survived after an 800 dollar vet bill and anti-venin treatment. Sadly for the baby, I guess he developed a taste for cat and never ate again even when force feeding was attempted. After his demise, he lived in my freezer for about 4 years. I have no idea why I did that.

coluber, you are more than welcome to cite my own personal experiences, but for the pure statistics, stick to Bob's.

Hi LadyJ. I think you'll find every study done will differ depending on criteria used for evaluation. Additional differences should apply when the studies are conducted in the field as opposed to in a lab. Thanks for the input.