One of the most prevalent fears is the phobia of snakes, but many individuals have never actually seen one in person. So, how does this fear come about? Researchers discovered that adults and kids could spot pictures of snakes more swiftly than they could spot frogs, wildflowers, or caterpillars across a range of non-threatening items.
Experts believe that humans could have survived in the wild thanks to this skill. A family in Texas had an up-close-and-personal encounter with a rattlesnake that left them almost speechless!
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Picture this: You’re sitting down in front of the television with your loved ones, enjoying your favorite sports game. It sounds nice, right? At one point, everyone gets up to grab a snack, use the restroom, and stretch their legs. When you all return, there’s a giant rattlesnake curled up on the couch.
Texas resident Jacob Gamble, of Decatur, is familiar with this personally. The terrifying footage of his experience with a very feared snake, which took his household couch during Game 3 of the Mavericks-Jazz series in April of 2022, was also posted on social media.
Gamble shared the rattlesnake video in a well-liked, exclusive North Texas Facebook group titled “What kind of snake is this? North Texas Educational Group.” Let’s say it didn’t take long for people to engage with the post.
An Unwelcome Visitor
As Jacob returns to the couch, the snake is sitting there in peace. Once Gamble begins to move closer, its rattle starts shaking. The snake utilizes its rattle to frighten away prospective attackers or to divert prey. The noise produced by the rattle’s bony and hollow doughnut-shaped portions striking one another is what is known as the rattle sound.
When Gamble’s child arrived home at about 8:30 p.m. with pizza from a nearby restaurant named Joe’s Pizza & Pasta, he was reportedly watching the game outside while lounging on the sofa in his family’s open back patio area.
The Gamble family all entered the house for dinner at that point. Gamble claimed that when they were done, they went back to the patio where the rattlesnake had taken its position. While this family was lucky that the snake didn’t hurt anyone, there are measures you can take if you find one of these slithery serpents in your home.
A rattlesnake will hunt or build a den in any quiet, shaded area, whether seeking prey or seeking refuge from the heat. Crawl spaces and basements are included in this, in addition to regions under decks and porches. Rattlesnakes are much more likely to be found in or around houses with rodent infestations.
Unlike other pests, a rattlesnake within the home doesn’t enter via climbing or excavating. Snakes enter houses through cracks in the ground-level foundation. Baby rattlers may frequently fit through cracks under doors because they are so small.
How Large Do Rattlesnakes Get?
Adults of this species typically measure between three to six feet in length, although there have been recorded instances of individuals surpassing 7 feet, with a maximum recorded length of 8 feet.
In Florida, the average weight for this species falls between two to four pounds, yet larger individual snakes can weigh over ten pounds.
The eastern diamondback rattlesnake holds the title of being the largest rattlesnake globally. In terms of size, the longest and heaviest giant eastern diamondback rattlesnake ever documented was in 1946, measuring 7.9 feet in length and weighing 15.4 kilograms (34 pounds).
Why Are Rattlesnakes Dangerous?
Rattlesnakes are dangerous because of their venom. Produced by glands at the back of their heads, it is both neurotoxic and hemotoxic. The former quality means that it is fast-acting and will interfere with nerve impulses while the latter means that it will cause internal bleeding.
Rattlesnake venom is also cytotoxic. As a result, it is capable of destroying cells and tissues, and causing necrosis, as well.
Of the three categories of toxins, hemotoxins are the most abundant in rattlesnake venom. And while bites are rarely fatal, treatment must be sought immediately in the event of an attack.
How Common Are Rattlesnakes in Texas?
There are nine species of rattlesnake in Texas: black rock, blacktail, desert massasauga, Mojave, mottled rock, prairie, timber, western diamondback, and western massasauga.
The western diamondback rattlesnake is the most common and most widely distributed of them all. Its range covers the entire state of Texas except for its furthest eastern region.
In addition to rattlesnakes, residents of Texas also have to keep a sharp lookout for other pitvipers including copperheads and cottonmouths. They also have to remain vigilant for another group of particularly venomous yet colorful denizens of the state as well: coral snakes.
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