Rattlesnakes in The Rattlesnakes of Snake Bite: First Aid San Diego County Parks San Diego County The primary purpose of the rattlesnake’s What venomous bite is to assist the reptile in securing The Rattlesnake is an important natural Colorado Desert Sidewinder its prey. After using its specialized senses to find element in the population control of small (Crotalus cerastes laterorepens) its next meal, the rattlesnake injects its victim ou hould mammals. Nearly all of its diet consists of Y S Found only in the desert, the sidewinder prefers with a fatal dose of venom. animals such as mice and rats. Because they are sandy flats and washes. Its colors are those of so beneficial, rattlesnakes are fully protected the desert; a cream or light brown ground color To prevent being bitten, the best advice is to leave Know About within County Parks. with a row of brown blotches down the middle snakes alone. If you encounter a rattlesnake while hiking, of the back. A horn-like projection over each eye Most bites occur when Rattlesnakes consider yourself lucky to have seen one of separates this rattlesnake from the others in our area. They measure 7 inches to 2.5 feet in length. someone is nature’s most interesting animals. If you see a trying to pick rattlesnake at a campsite or picnic area, please Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake up a snake, inform the park rangers. They will do their best (Crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus) tease it, or kill to relocate the snake. Most often found in rocky foothill areas along the it. If snakes are coast or in the desert. The Southwestern Speckled’s provided an Avoiding Rattlesnakes coloring looks like decomposed granite; from escape route, cream or tan to sometimes pink and yellowish, and they’ll escape rather than strike. But if someone is By being alert and knowing what they look like, usually with indistinct bands of salt-and-pepper bitten, the following first aid is suggested. where they live, and when they are active, you speckling. They measure 8 inches to 3 feet in long. can usually avoid rattlesnake encounters. 1. Remain calm Red Diamond Rattlesnake In parks, stay on trails. In other areas, if you (Crotalus exsul) 2. Immobilize the bitten extremity plan on hiking through brush, long pants and The Red Diamond Rattlesnake is a reddish- Do not apply a tourniquet or constriction boots are advised. At night use a flashlight. brown snake with the outline of cream-colored band. Do not apply ice to the wound. Do In Southern California, snakes can be seen year- diamonds down its back. It usually prefers areas not attempt to cut the wound or suck out round. However, most rattlesnake sightings of brush scattered rock – chaparral along the the venom. occur in April, May and June. coast, mesquite and cactus on desert slopes. It is not found high in the mountains or on the desert 3. Wash the skin flats. This snake is 9 inches to 5.5 feet long. If soap and water are available, wash the skin INFORMATION over the bite or use an antiseptic wipe. Southern Pacific Rattlesnake County of San Diego (Crotalus viridis helleri) 4. Remove jewelry and tight-fitting Department of Parks and Recreation 5500 Overland Avenue, Suite 410 Found virtually everywhere but the desert, this clothing in case of swelling San Diego, CA 92123 greenish-brown to black snake has brown to black 5 Call for help Reservations & Information: blotches down its back. These blotches generally . Toll Free • (877)565-3600 have lighter edges. This snake is a subspecies of If possible, send someone to telephone 911.

Local • (858) 565-3600 the highly variable western rattlesnake complex. If alone, walk at a relaxed pace to the closest telephone and call 911. Get medical attention Visit us at www.sdparks.org The Southern Pacific Rattlesnake measures 6 as soon as possible. Printed on recycled paper 1/17 inches to 5 feet in length. The Scales: A Keeled Mystery The Rattle: A Warning Sound If you encountered a snake and its tail was hidden Rattlesnake Fun Fact When alarmed, the rattlesnake vibrates from view, you might recognize it as a rattlesnake by Did you know that the rattles found on the tip its tail in an effort to warn an intruder its overall shape: large triangular head, narrow neck of its presence. Other snakes may do the and wide body. of the tail are dead skin that accumulates over time? same thing, but only the rattlesnake has a mechanical warning system: the rattle. The rattlesnake can also be identified by looking only at its back. Each scale has a pronounced The Eyes:Vision in Dim Light How does it do this? ridge, or keel, running down its middle. Rattlesnakes (and all The rattlesnake’s pupil is a narrow vertical slit, other snakes in the pit These keels give the rattlesnake a rough, less shiny like those in a cat’s eye. This type of pupil generally viper group) have deep indicates an eye that is highly sensitive to vision in appearance than most snakes found in San Diego depressions, one on either dim light. That’s also true for a rattlesnake. County. The function of these keels is uncertain, side of their face between though some scientists believe they promote Because of this sensitivity to light, the eye needs the eyes and nose. concealment. protection during bright daylight. Its vertical Behind each of these pupil protects it better than a round pupil By breaking up the light reflecting off the snake, pits is a chamber, which because it can close almost completely. the keels may allow it to blend in with its dull is divided by a thin surroundings. The Pit Organs: membrane. Contained in this membrane is a A Second Set of Eyes densely packed group When a rattlesnake looks at a mouse in the of nerve endings. Did daylight, it senses both the reflected visual light you know that you have that a human would see and the infrared light the same kind of nerve given off by the mouse’s body heat. In total endings? They’re spread Colorado Desert Sidewinder Rattlesnake darkness, the rattlesnake can still find its prey across your upper face and allow by “seeing” only the mouse’s body heat. you to sense warmth generated from This rattle is composed of a number of hard, a source of heat, such as the sun. dry skin, much like your fingernails. The In pit vipers, these loose, articulation of these segments – not Southern Pacific Rattlesnake nerves are confined loose beads within the segments as some to the pit organs. people believe – results in the sound. When The Tongue: A Vital Part of Smell These nerves are the snake vibrates its tail, one segment strikes different from yours By flicking its forked tongue, the rattlesnake is the other. The buzz that results is a very in that they’re linked tasting the smell of the air. It picks up a scent, effective warning. to the vision center and then stimulates the olfactory nerve, in effect of the snake’s brain. A common belief is that the age of a snake extending its nose beyond its body. When the You could almost can be determined by counting the number snake pulls its tongue back in, it slides the tips call the rattlesnake a of segments in the rattle, one segment for into cavities on the roof of the mouth. heat-seeking missile, each year. Not true. One segment is added These organs, called Jacobson’s Organs, contain guided by a highly each time the snake sheds its skin, and most branches of the olfactory nerve, the same nerve specialized nervous snakes shed several times per year. that leads to the nose. Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake system.