Posted by Kerby... on April 25, 2002 at 09:58:52:
In Reply to: i agree posted by east coast dave on April 24, 2002 at 12:36:30:
:) I have lived in Arizona since 1990 and have observed quite a few rattlesnakes in the wild, and only on a few (maybe 3??) occassions have I "found" a rattlesnake because it was rattling. I have found rattlesnakes that saw me first (coiled and semi-coiled) that had no intentions of rattling. They were content to just let me walk by, observing me the whole time. I came to the "un-scientific" conclusion that rattlesnakes know that if they rattle in the presence of a human, it will be a death warrant. I even walked over a speckled rattlesnake that was close to a rock 3 times before in about 2 minutes before he rattled. Even the rattlesnakes that I find on the road, RARELY do they rattle when I scoot them off the road. Somehow I think that rattlesnakes know that humans are a death warrant.
