According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are about 250 species and subspecies of snakes in the U.S. Just four types are venomous: copperhead, coral snake, water moccasin and rattlesnake.
All rattlesnakes are pit vipers, which means they can detect heat from other animals. If a rattler was blindfolded, it would still be able to strike accurately because it can see an infrared image of its intended victim. This is why rattle snakes are able to hunt after dark.
The Billings Gazette reports that Eastern Montana and the area around Billings is prairie rattlesnake habitat. With the number of new housing developments growing in those areas, so are the encounters with the prairie rattler.
Allison Begley is a native species biologist with the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. According to the Gazette, Begley said there are relatively few complaints about the rattlesnakes found in back yards, despite increased encounters between humans and rattlers. “People probably deal with them with the back end of a shovel,” she said. Begley also said her agency gets “more calls from folks looking to move to the state who want to know about our ‘rattlesnake problem.’ ”
The truth is that rattlesnake bites are actually few and far between, and deaths from venomous snake bites are rare. The Gazette reports that Montana began keeping records of snake bite deaths in 1954. The last death from a rattler bite was in September, when a man picked up a rattler that was lying in the road; the snake bit the man’s hand. However, Montana Outdoors magazine says that of the thousands of individuals who hunt, hike and backpack in Montana every year, fewer than 10 bites are reported a year, according to the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver. Further, prior to the September death, there had not been a death from a rattlesnake bite since 1965, says the Gazette.
In the United States, there are said to be about 8,000 snake bites a year.
According to the Gazette, Begley said she believes the concern about rattlesnakes is overblown, considering how few people are actually bitten or die from bites. Nonetheless, she does “think that a healthy respect for rattlesnakes is warranted, regardless of how few bites we see. They have the potential to be deadly and should be regarded as such.” She also said that if rattlers are left alone, most of them would rather retreat than strike. As a defender of the prairie rattle snake, Begley said: “They’re very much maligned. In general, their biggest predator is humans. They’re viewed as a threat no matter what they’re doing.”Sources:
Billings Gazette, Much of Montana home to prairie rattlesnake; http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/06/28/features/outdoors/20-rattle.txt
Montana Outdoors Magazine; http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/html/extra/Rattlesnake.htm
