I’m not too proud to admit it: snakes are scary. Not spider scary, but scary nonetheless. So, since summer is quickly approaching, here’s some timely tips from the USDA so you don’t end up looking like me … running away from a tiny little 1.5′ lightning-fast rattlesnake:
Warmer weather lures humans to the outdoors about the same time snakes are increasing their activity, making encounters of the slithering kind inevitable. California has many kinds of beautiful and harmless native snakes. However, one kind of snake that is a safety concern for anyone outdoors in California is the rattlesnake. All snakes, including rattlesnakes, provide humans with a tremendous service because they control rodent populations.
Rattlesnakes are the only venomous snakes in California that can cause serious injury to humans; however, very few people die from rattlesnake bites in California. Generally not aggressive, rattlesnakes strike when threatened or deliberately provoked, and given room they will retreat. Never try to pick up a rattlesnake. Most snake bites occur when a rattlesnake is handled or accidentally touched by someone walking or climbing.
