It's getting cold here in Colorado. The weather started changing last night, with clouds and cold air blowing in over the mountains. The first weeks of Fall were beautiful, with crisp bright mornings and golden sunny afternoons. Temperatures have been reaching 70s and not dropping below the 50s. But todoay the mountains can not be seen, which means there's snow accumulating up high. The first freeze could happen tonight and for sure tomorrow night. This all concerns me after almost stepping on a Rattlesnake the other day...
it concerns me because I've always wondered (with a slight bit of apprehension) how these cold blooded creatures survive in these cold climates durring Winter. Now if I were Mom at this point I might reconsider reading any further. I did post that picture, which may have been enough to get a shriek and a quick shutting of the laptop, but just in case, this is a verbal warning.
When I almost stepped on the Rattlesnake I was working up in Cedar Heights, a gated community up on the mountain side above Colorado Springs. I hadn't seen a Rattlesnake in the wild here in Colorado the whole time I've lived here. I had heard that they couldn't survive over a certain altitude and thought the 6,500ft + location I was working at would be safe. Of course this turned out not to be the case. This led me to a information search, and here's a little condensed version of what I found: Rattlesnakes have been found at altitudes above 9,000ft. They can survive the winter by hiberbenating below the frostline (10ft deep at those higher altitudes). A snake Hibernaculum can consist of a single or a few snakes, but it has also been documented (Mom would love this) that up to 1,000 snakes will hibernate together. Rattlesnakes and Garter snakes will even sometimes hibernate together.
People who know me know that I like snakes and have always been fascinated by then. But, the idea of Rattlesnake(s), especially a lot of them seriously scares me. At the same time I would much rather there be Rattlesnakes slithering all around than having a world overrun by rodents, so I guess I'll just have to watch my step when Spring comes back around. I'm thankful that God kept me safe the other day, and I am thankful for His creation, even when it's a little creepy.
3 comments:
just wondering... is that a picture of the rattlesnake?
No, I found a picture online that most accurately resembled the Rattlesnake I actually saw.
I was warned that this picture was on the blog, but it still creeps me out. Peter wins a Safe Snake Spotter badge for not picking up the snake (assuming he didn't) like some Marines might do.
I'm surprised you haven't seen one before. I thought Timber rattlers live at higher elevations. Also, we saw a rattlesnake at the Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming after the ranger told us he hadn't seen one in all his years there. They must be fascinated with Crums.
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