Rattlesnake Shake
I came up Rattlesnake Trail to seek a few caches that I had not
yet found, and to place a new cache. The Meadow (A.K.A. "Tin Can
Flat") where the trail forks to go Gibralter road and Tunnel trail
seemed a great spot to me. Looking for a good hiding place, I took
a stroll around the meadow. Eventually I settled on what I thought
a fairly good cache spot and went back to my pack to grab the cache
container. As I got back to the hiding spot, I noticed something
blackish in the bushes. As I looked closer, much to my supprise who
did I see but Mister Rattlesnake himself there to christen my spot!
I tried to get closer to get a picture, but he sounded his rattles
(Rattlesnake Shake!) and headed deep into the brush. I
settled on a different spot down at the bottom of the meadow.
Always be on the lookout in warm weather!
And now, a little trivia about the Rattler:
- There are 15 species of Rattlesnakes (Genus Crotalus and
Sistrurus) in the United States.
- Rattlesnakes are members of a larger family of poisonous snakes
called pit vipers
- The largest rattlesnake is the eastern diamondback, which can
grow to just under 2.5 m (8 ft) and weigh 9 kg (20 lb).
- The Mojave Rattlesnake has neurotoxic venom. A bite from
these snakes can interfere with the function of the heart, paralyze
the lungs, and shut down parts of the nervous system.
- Most species of rattlesnakes have hemotoxic venom,
destroying tissue, degenerating organs and disrupting blood
clotting ie coagulopathy
- In the United States, rattlesnakes cause fewer than 12 deaths
each year.
- Each time the rattlesnake sheds its skin (one to four times a
year), a new segment is added at the base of the rattle. Rattles
rarely have more than 12 segments because as they grow longer, they
tend to get caught in rocks and brush and break apart
Original Contents:
- Mini Deck of Cards
- Rubber Ball
- Smiley Face Stickers