Finally, a herpetology thread ;[]
Especially if they were in the road because some people would try to drive over them just because they were snakes!!
People drive on them on purpose, then pull over, cut off rattles and leave it in the road, deadly fangs and all, one like that right next to our mailboxes one day.
So I get out the car and herd them out the road if I can, although with rattlers you need to exercise caution.
Me and the kid were in the car one day, in the way back machine but she was already driving, and at the 1st stop sign from her place out in the sticks, here's a Bullsnake [ a constrictor that looks like a rattler but eats rattlers] in the middle of the road in the gravel, coiled up, rattling tail, this snake has no rattles, hissing and looking like it's going to strike, amazing mimicking behavior of a rattler and you wouldn't hang out long to figure out the difference.
The difference between pit viper (Crotalidae) and this other snake, much larger more triangulated head, pits, heat sensitive pits, short squatty tail with rattles [but not always] stockier, different color green, round eyes rather than slitted like a venomous snake.
The heat sensitive pit give this snake a heat signature of what and where you are.
In pitch black, it knows exacly what you are.
Taking a moment to bring up snake safety and how to survive a snake bite.
The best answer is Don't Get bit.
Heavy wool sock are known to deflect fangs, possibly preventing snake bites.
Snakes don't like the cold, will shelter in place until it's warm, there will be some traffic.
They don't like the noon hour, too hot, they'll be in the shade, and this;
DO NOT STEP OVER LOGS!
A snake can be in the shade on the other side of a log, unseen, you'll step on it, with a good chance of being bitten.
Step on the log, and jump over it.
They're active again in the late afternoon, going to water, sometimes lazily sunning in roads.
