NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/625084
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016 • NEBRASKAland 35 it's this venom combined with their startling, menacing, hunkering-down behavior which makes them notorious – firmly fixing them into the running as Nebraskans' least liked animal. Fogell maintains a live collection of Nebraska's four native venomous snake species, but fear not Nebraskans, three of these are rare. The massasauga rattlesnake and the timber rattlesnake can be found in small pockets in far southeastern Nebraska and some copperheads live in Gage County south of Beatrice, but in western regions the prairie rattlesnake reigns. Habitats in eastern Nebraska don't suit them. There is a north/south line which prairie rattlesnakes generally don't cross near Kearney. They like shortgrass regions; thank the tallgrass, easterners. Rattlesnake encounters were common around McCook where I grew up. Today, Fogell confirms that southwestern Nebraska is still a hotspot for rattlesnakes as are areas in the Panhandle. We killed rattlesnakes back in those days. Like slaying a dragon, it came with bragging rights. Unfortunately this mentality still exists. "People fear them," said Fogell. "People don't understand them and disrespect them. Some believe that they are doing the world a huge favor by killing rattlesnakes, thus removing more potential for bites." But rattlesnakes serve an important role just like all predators do. "Rattlesnakes are voracious vermin eaters that keep mice, rats, rabbits and other small mammals from reproducing to unmanageable numbers," Fogell said. "And they want no part of humans. Just leave them alone and nobody gets hurt – including the snake." A rattlesnake's alarming behavior throws people. This noisy, intimidating animal implies malevolence, starkly contrasting behaviors we are used to seeing in all other wild animals. It's a mean looking creature bold enough to stand its ground as if daring you to approach and it will bite you if you do. Many people misinterpret this scary mannerism as aggression, but it is pure defense. Be comforted that they give warning. As much as this sudden, forceful buzzing scares the bejeezus out of people, there is a newer phenomenon developing that is even more terrifying: rattlesnakes that remain silent. No unexpected rattling noise compares to the primitive fear in spotting a coiled, quiet, strike-ready rattler where your foot will next fall. Though not typical rattlesnake behavior, I have experienced more of this stealth in recent years and so have scientists. Nearly unheard of decades ago, it is becoming a phenomenon. "It's the foundation of Darwinian evolution," said Fogell. "This variation in the choice to rattle when approached by a threat is allowing some of these well-camouflaged snakes to remain unseen by predators that might kill them." Researchers have even noted atrophied tail muscles in some rattlesnakes, where tail ends are so weak that loud rattling is not possible. Many say that quiet rattlers have ascended as a result of human encroachment. Theoretically, as mankind invades habitat, noisy rattles bring death from fearful humans. Remain unnoticed, remain alive, and the silent, limp-tailed snakes pass on genetics while their louder neighbors might be killed. Heard or not, there is no standard rattlesnake encounter; assorted natural factors come into play. Warm weather makes a more active snake, quicker to agitate. On chilly days, they are lethargic. The less notice a snake has of human approach the more sudden and robust their reaction will likely be. Snakes are deaf, but they feel us coming; vibrations from the ground announce our advance. The heavier the footfall, the more notice they have to move away. Keep your kids behind you in rattlesnake country. Rattlesnakes rank fairly low on the venom lethality scale worldwide. According to Fogell, "Severity of a prairie rattlesnake bite depends on where the bite is, the amount of venom injected, the size and health of the person being bitten and what the victim does after the bite." Only one remedy When a rattlesnake strikes (like this one in Dan Fogell's laboratory), its hollow fangs unfold from the roof of its mouth to target enemy or prey. Not all rattler bites deliver venom, but this one did to the camera's lens.