Copperhead Head

[MikeBinOKlahoma]

One of my handful of favorite snakes.

captive subject
90mm lens with 2x tc
1/250th second @ f/32
ISO 100
flash as main light

[Ken Ramos]

Look at that! All wadded up. Makes you hurt all over just thinking about the possibility of being biten. They say it is tens if not hundereds as times as painful as a bee sting. Hope I never find out. A great image of the copper there Mike , found one just like him in the yard last summer. Hit'm with the lawn mower!

[rjlittlefield]

Hit'm with the lawn mower!

Ah, Ken, haven't you been listening to the hardcore environmentalists? That snake had an important role to play! 'Course I have to confess, living up here in the northwest, that I've carefully considered all the roles of rattlesnakes, and concluded that while those roles are really important, they're also very well filled by other more palatable species. So the rattlers and I get along just fine, as long as it doesn't have to be in the same place. Perhaps things work the same in your neck of the woods?

--Rik

[MikeBinOKlahoma]

With lone predators like rattlesnakes, there's usually a surplus of predators over available territories. Unless there is a VERY aggressive program of habitat destruction, or some ultra-effective method such as killing the snakes while hibernating in their "caves" in the winter, just killing individuals simply means a different one moves in soon after in most cases.

[Beetleman]

Very beautiful snake and photo Mike. New Hampshire has one poisonous snake, the Timber Rattlesnake, which has been almost exterminated by activities of mankind. It is very rare and on the endangered list for this state. On the fear of snakes..Here is an interesting news bit I saw on Yahoo News Yesterday. http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060721/ ... hvBHNlYwM-

[paul]

Some 'handful' here, Mike. I always like your world of reptiles, as you capture these patterns in a unique way.

NZ is a snakefree country, not even snakes in zoos (as far as I know). Some years ago sombody lost a snakeskin in Auckland (on a way to a party, must have been part of a costume), causing a major bisecurity alert when it was found!

[rjlittlefield]

while those roles are really important, they're also very well filled by other more palatable species. So the rattlers and I get along just fine, as long as it doesn't have to be in the same place.

With lone predators like rattlesnakes, there's usually a surplus of predators over available territories. Unless there is a VERY aggressive program of habitat destruction, or some ultra-effective method such as killing the snakes while hibernating in their "caves" in the winter, just killing individuals simply means a different one moves in soon after in most cases.

That may be a good description in most places, but it didn't work that way in the places that I grew up. In north central Washington, there is competition for both prey and territory between rattlesnakes and bullsnakes. In general, the bullsnakes did better in moister, bushier areas, while the rattlesnakes were mostly restricted to the drier and rockier territory. People prefer water and bushes too, so there was a lot of overlap between bullsnakes and people, but not much between the rattlers and people. We preferred it that way. The bullsnakes were at worst a bit frightening on sudden meetings, before we could tell for sure what they were, while the rattlers could do some serious damage to pets and small children. So the bullsnakes were welcomed to keep the rodents down and make the place less attractive to the rattlers. On those rare occasions when a rattler showed up in the people areas, it was quickly evicted or dispatched. We thought of it as shifting the balance of power. In any event, the resulting calm lasted for quite a long time. I think we averaged a rattler every couple of years in the people areas. Hiking the hills was of course another matter, but in those places the rattlers were no problem anyway.

--Rik

[MikeBinOKlahoma]

Good point. Though you did refer to it, I didn't note your reference to other, more cuddly species. You triggered one of my hot-button lectures, and I didn't fully ponder what you'd said fully.

[rjlittlefield]

Good point. Though you did refer to it, I didn't note your reference to other, more cuddly species. You triggered one of my hot-button lectures, and I didn't fully ponder what you'd said fully.

Mike,

No problem -- actually I figured I'd just kind of float that thought as a trial balloon and see what sort of artillary was used to shoot it down.

My situation was perhaps a bit unusual. When I was growing up in the 50's and 60's in Okanogan County, Washington, the area could be concisely described as "5500 square miles with one traffic light". The description was literal. Driver training students used to travel 45 miles just to get to that one traffic light to practice on. You can safely assume that we didn't have a lot of problem with endangered species caused by habitat destruction. There are more traffic lights now -- might be a couple dozen or more -- but still the area is in pretty good shape.

In any case, I am sympathetic to the plight of endangered snakes in general, and I appreciate your hot-button response. Please feel free to keep using it whenever it seems appropriate.

--Rik