In recent years, doctors have noticed a troubling pattern: more patients are arriving in emergency rooms with snake bites. Some hospitals surpassed last year’s totals before summer even ended, and poison control centers confirm the trend with steady calls from people bitten in their yards, driveways, and gardens. The surge has everyone paying close attention this Fall, especially since it is leaf peeping season in many areas, and hunting season is also in full swing.
Rattlesnakes are most commonly encountered from early spring through late fall, and then they are presumed to hibernate. A steady temperature drop does signal a snake to enter brumation, similar to hibernation, but as long as warmer temps prevail, as it seems to be doing this year in many regions, copperheads, cottonmouths, and rattlesnakes are still out and about.
Brumation is an extreme slowing down of a snake’s metabolism. Rattlesnakes are awake, but just very lethargic so you don't see them moving around. Snakes are more reactive to consistently cold weather, rather than a change of seasons. Rattlesnakes are even known to move around during extended warm periods during the dead of winter, especially if they hole up in a stump or other location that can be warmed easily by sunshine. Many states are having a warm and wet autumn season, which increases the food supply (small mammals) for pit vipers that have heat-sensitive pits in front of each eye to help locate prey.
Snakes become sluggish anywhere below 60 degrees° F, so it’s better to be safe than sorry and wear snake gaiters (lower leg protection) when raking leaves, stacking firewood, hunting, or hiking. On warmer days in late Fall, brumating rattlesnakes sometimes come out of their dens to bask in the sunshine. Nice sunny days that follow a long cold snap are often when people are surprised by rattlers. Just like humans, snakes head out to enjoy the sun and unsuspecting humans can startle them and cause them to strike.
The unmistakable sound of a rattlesnake’s tail is one of the most feared warnings, but that sound could actually help prevent a bite. But do not count on it. Remember that most rattlesnakes don’t rattle to begin with. “In the wild, they rarely rattle,” experts say. “The majority of rattlesnake encounters that a person’s going to have out there are going to be ones that they never even know about.” Never assume a rattlesnake will rattle before striking.
It’s interesting to know that venom glands for a snake are in the head, and they inject venom through fangs that act like a hypodermic needle. When a snake bites, it compress the muscles over the glands that funnels the venom down the fang. This is why the viper species of snakes have a big triangular head. They have that very beefy triangular head and that’s because of those big venom glands that are on the side of the head towards the back.
There are about 20 species of rattlesnakes found in nearly all parts of the U.S. except for Alaska and Hawaii. They can be found in all sorts of different terrain, from river bottoms to mountain elevations of 8,000 feet or more. They particularly like hiding under logs, inside rock crevices, or in vegetation along trails. If you are bitten, seek medical attention immediately, say the experts. If you can, call 911 to come get you.
