Yup, got my war paint on. No knife in mouth though, this mini Swiss army knife is too east to choke on when jumping.
Just caught this on my front porch.
- Thread starter 57tr6
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Call Zoo Atlanta, Aquarium (TN and GA) and see if they want it.
Timber rattler aka canebrake?
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The deep red down the middle looks canebrake but assuming it came from NE Georgia as indicated by the OP's local, I'd call it a timber. They usually have a less distinct stripe but bright stripes are not rare. They are the same species and it's debated whether they are even a separate subspecies. There is a tiny bit of undetectable difference in a bone in the jaw structure between timbers and canebrakes. Coloration morphism doesn't alone indicate a valid subspecies designation as colors vary across various ranges. Typically they get darker the further north and higher altitude (helps absorb heat). Another indication holding the canebrake ("timber rattlers" found further south ...Florida, South GA, along the gulf coastal plain) as a subspecies to most that care about these things is venom. All venomous snakes have a mixture of cytotoxin, hemotoxin and neurotoxin. The mixtures vary greatly. Elapids (Cobras, Coralsnakes, Mambas etc) tend to be heavy on neurotoxins. Pit vipers tend to be heavy on hemo and cytotoxins. Canebrakes are no exception except they are heavier on neurotoxins than timbers. One particular patch of the range in Louisiana and Western Mississippi has an extraordinary bump in the neurotoxicity.
Killing one because it's in your yard and you have kids..not really a valid reason to kill. Unless you have a den in your yard, he's likely just passing through. This time tomorrow, he'd be half a mile down the road. Killing only gives you false security that the "threat" is gone. It doesn't deter another from showing up. Using his visit as an opportunity to show the kids what they look like in person, and that if they just simply walk the other way...These animals did not survive 65 million years of evolution by taking on larger, smarter mammals. They developed rattles to warn buffalo and other large animals away from stepping on them. NOW they are, through natural selection, evolving or adapting AWAY from rattling as a warning due to humans locating by their rattling and killing those that show themselves eagerly, leaving those that don't rattle much to survive and pass on the trait...ie natural selection.
The best reason to leave them alone?...venom research for medical use is in its infancy. We are finding everyday possible cures and treatments for age old illnesses from venom. Gila Monster venom for example, gave us Byetta (glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist ) that is effective in treating type 2 diabetes. Contortrostatin (may be the closest thing we see in our lifetime to a cure for cancer) it causes malignant tumors to stop growing by cutting off angiogenisis (creating new blood vessels from old blood vessels) Rerouting our blood supply away from vital organs is largely how many types of cancer kills us. Contortrostatin derived from Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix ...which is Latin for our very own Southern Copperhead. Thank you Mr Copperhead for possibly curing cancer...Sorry about the morons that keep chopping your heads off.
Killing one because it's in your yard and you have kids..not really a valid reason to kill. Unless you have a den in your yard, he's likely just passing through. This time tomorrow, he'd be half a mile down the road. Killing only gives you false security that the "threat" is gone. It doesn't deter another from showing up. Using his visit as an opportunity to show the kids what they look like in person, and that if they just simply walk the other way...These animals did not survive 65 million years of evolution by taking on larger, smarter mammals. They developed rattles to warn buffalo and other large animals away from stepping on them. NOW they are, through natural selection, evolving or adapting AWAY from rattling as a warning due to humans locating by their rattling and killing those that show themselves eagerly, leaving those that don't rattle much to survive and pass on the trait...ie natural selection.
The best reason to leave them alone?...venom research for medical use is in its infancy. We are finding everyday possible cures and treatments for age old illnesses from venom. Gila Monster venom for example, gave us Byetta (glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist ) that is effective in treating type 2 diabetes. Contortrostatin (may be the closest thing we see in our lifetime to a cure for cancer) it causes malignant tumors to stop growing by cutting off angiogenisis (creating new blood vessels from old blood vessels) Rerouting our blood supply away from vital organs is largely how many types of cancer kills us. Contortrostatin derived from Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix ...which is Latin for our very own Southern Copperhead. Thank you Mr Copperhead for possibly curing cancer...Sorry about the morons that keep chopping your heads off.
+1
It always amazes me how the folks on this site get all puffed up on how they would never back down to anyone and "defend" their (Home,Rights,Property) blah blah.
Only to find so many are afraid of spiders and snakes
Little secret; Killing a snake does not make you a tough guy.
More likely it shows you are ignorant and/or desirous for attention.
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