- Snake, rattlesnake right there.
Oh my goodness,
look at the size of this snake.
Okay, Mario, just get the snake tubes out.
This snake can take off in a burst of speed.
Now, that's not the rattle rattling itself,
that is my hand shaking from holding onto this snake.
(upbeat drum music)
(dramatic music)
The deserts of the Southwest
aren't only riddled with dangers,
they also have the potential to be deadly.
To define danger,
I'm talking about spiky plants, hairy spiders,
glowing scorpions and one very venomous lizard.
If I were to define deadly,
it would come in the slithering form
of Arizona's most commonly encountered venomous snake,
the outlaw viper known
as the western diamondback rattlesnake.
Tonight, we are exploring a private stretch of property,
eerily located beyond the looming structure
of the Superstition Mountains.
What was once a lucrative goldmine
has now been reclaimed by the wild,
and while I'd love to find a fortune in golden glory,
the only treasure we are likely to come across here
is of the animal kind.
When searching for reptilian predators like rattlesnakes,
one of the best things you can come across are prey species,
and this desert is bustling with rodents.
So this right here is likely the home of kangaroo rats.
Now a kangaroo rat is something
that a rattlesnake will primarily target for feasting on.
If I was a rattlesnake this is definitely an area
that I would hang out,
waiting for the rodents to come up out of the burrow.
Once they detect that heat signature,
they strike out and inject that venom.
So, there's a good chance we could be hot on the trail
of rattlesnake right now.
Let's search all through this underbrush
and see what we find.
You really have to move slow and methodically
through an environment like this.
(soft electronic music)
So that is a desert rat of some species.
It's not a kangaroo rat,
but a rodent of that size is the primary meal
for a western diamondback rattlesnake.
Of course, up in cholla cactus like that,
it's completely safe.
You're not gonna ever see a rattlesnake
up in a cholla like this.
So, well where you see rodents
you will definitely find the snakes.
All right, let's keep looking.
We're getting close, I can feel it.
They say that where you find cheese,
you will find rats.
I always say that where you find rats, you will find snakes.
And boy, do I love being right?
Now we're seeing some rocks.
What do you think, Mario?
This looks a little bit better.
Look at this outcrop.
Snake, rattlesnake right there!
(dramatic music)
Holy cow. Look at the size of this.
It's a western diamondback.
Oh my goodness.
Look at the size of this snake!
Whoa, I got chills running up and down my body right now.
This scenario is incredibly dangerous.
What I want to do is get the snake up off of these rocks
and down into a more controlled situation.
Okay. It's just staying completely still.
Let's just take a second to look at that camouflage.
I mean, all I saw was the black and white banding
on the tail as we came up over those rocks
and immediately I knew rattlesnake.
And you want to properly identify
whether or not it's a Mojave or a western diamondback.
It's really easy to get the two mixed up.
Oh my gosh. I'm so nervous, my hands are shaking.
This is a big, big rattlesnake.
This is, wow, I don't even know if we've got a tube
big enough to get the snake into.
So this is gonna be great.
We're going to get to use our snake examination tubes.
If I can safely get the snake off of the rocks.
All right. The snake is definitely onto us now.
Let's see how he's going to move.
Okay. You guys good?
All right.
I'm going to see if...
Okay there's that, look, it's not even rattling yet.
Okay. Now it's beginning to get into defensive pose.
Coming this way.
Okay. What I'm gonna do is try to tail the snake.
Got the tail. Got the tail.
I'm gonna try to, okay, you ready?
I'm gonna try to move it down here into the sand.
Wow. That is a big rattlesnake.
This is the biggest western diamondback
I think I've ever seen.
Okay. Real steady.
Okay. I got it.
Back up very slowly, everybody back, back back.
- [Cameraman] Watch your footing.
- I see it. I see it.
Move back. Move back.
Ah, okay. Up by this rock here.
I want it completely out in the sand.
Wow, that is a heavy rattlesnake.
It's taking all my strength to hold it up like that.
Okay. Let me see if I can just get it to sit here in sand.
Look at the size of that rattlesnake.
Okay, I'm gonna let go of the tail.
Real gentle, let's see if we can get it to coil
Nope. It's just going to keep moving.
Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.
There, there. Look at this.
Okay. Perfect positioning.
Okay, Mario, just set your camera down.
Get the snake tubes out.
Everybody just watch,
this snake can take off in a burst of speed.
I'm going to try to stay in front of it
so that it keeps its attention on me.
There you go. Keep your attention right here.
The heat-seeking pits, honed in on me
saying, okay, don't you get any closer?
And trust me, I will not!
Getting close to a sidewinder is one thing.
This snake can launch its body forward
two thirds its own length.
And that is about a four and a half foot
western diamondback.
So go ahead, hand me the tubes.
Now what we're going to try to do here.
Mario, I may or may not need your help, but this is great
because we've got these rocks we can actually use.
I want to try to coerce the snake very gently into the tube.
Now what this will do is allow me
to actually get hands on with the snake.
This is going to put very little stress on the animal.
It's the safest situation for me, the snake,
and for you guys.
Okay, here, here, here, take the tongs.
My leg is shaking.
Leg is shaking.
(sighs) Let me just take a deep breath.
Now you'll notice that the rattlesnake
isn't even rattling at this point.
Sometimes they won't.
The snake is relying on its camouflage.
It doesn't need to warn us with its rattle.
It's basically so confident in its size.
And now that it knows it's been spotted,
it's like, I don't need to warn you.
I simply just need you to back off
because- - There you go.
- A bite from this snake.
Watch out, watch out, watch out.
Let me try again.
Come on buddy. There we go.
This is good, I'm able to just keep it in position.
Very, very slow movements.
That's what we want right there.
We want to curl up into a ball like that.
Feel comfortable. Feel camouflaged.
Let me see if I can place it just in front of the snake.
Put this here. I'm gonna take off my pack.
I need as much mobility as I can possibly get.
This is the most dangerous part right here.
This is like the most dangerous game of desert operation.
Look out, look out!
- Watch that strike.
Watch your hand.
Make sure it doesn't go all the way up.
Grab it.
There we go. - Got it.
(Coyote gasps)
Dangerous snake situation under control.
Wow. Now I do have to hold onto the snake with as much power
as I possibly can to keep it locked in place.
Okay. This is good.
So you see, wow, the snake's head is almost coming out
the front of that tube.
Okay. Regain my composure here.
Phew!
That is an incredibly large western diamondback rattlesnake.
One of the most toxic snake species in the United States.
Look at the size of that snake. Incredible.
When we're talking about rattlesnakes,
the most quintessential thing is the rattle.
Look at that.
And this is the only way that you're able to get close
to one of these snakes rattles.
Now what's interesting about the rattle
is that it's made of keratin, the same thing
that makes up your fingernails and your hair.
And these are called buttons.
Each individual little section
and every time the snake sheds its skin, a new button forms.
Now you can't tell the age of a rattlesnake
based on its buttons, because as you can see here
a piece has definitely broken off at some point in time.
Sometimes it may get stuck on a stick or in between rocks.
The snake keeps slithering
and one of those buttons pops off,
but that is a beautiful rattle right there.
Now there's nothing actually inside the rattle.
People often think, well there are little beads inside
there that shake around. (rattle rattles)
No, that is just the sound of the buttons vibrating
up against each other.
That's not the rattle rattling itself,
that is my hand shaking from holding onto this snake.
This is the largest western diamondback
I think I have ever encountered in the wild.
An absolute beautiful snake.
And one of the most unique things about all rattlesnakes
is this is a new world snake,
the most highly evolved venomous snake on the planet.
These are pit vipers.
They have heat sensing pits right in front of their eyes.
And they rely on those pits to sense the heat registry
of an animal that's in their environment.
Now something like a banded gecko would not show up, right?
Cold-blooded animal.
But a kangaroo rat or perhaps that desert rat
that we saw up in the cactus earlier,
that is the primary prey target for a snake of this type.
They specialize in eating rodents.
Now when they strike their prey,
they bite down, inject that venom.
Eventually, whatever it is that they've bitten
succumbs to that venom and then the snake
has the opportunity to swallow it down.
Now like all snakes, this one has a forked tongue,
and that is what the snake uses to smell
and taste the environment.
They bring that tongue back into their mouths,
run it over the Jacobson's organ and it tells the snake
everything it needs to know about the environment.
If there's a predator close, if some prey items
have moved through, they're even capable of sensing
when the weather is going to change.
So this snake knows if a monsoon
is getting ready to push in.
They're just perfectly in tune with the desert.
The western diamondback rattlesnake is primarily
a nocturnal species, but people do occasionally stumble
upon them in the early morning or just before sunset.
These snakes rely on the sun to heat up their bodies.
So at the end of the day, they soak up those last rays
of the sun and then they head out for the night to hunt.
And they're opportunistic.
If something comes close to the snake
it will strike out and seize the opportunity
to get that meal.
Now, when we're talking about toxicity,
this is one of the most venomous snakes
in the United States.
And it has more so to do with the size of the snake.
The larger the snake is, the larger the yield of venom.
So a rattlesnake of this size
can give you a potentially lethal bite.
If you were to ever be bitten by a western diamondback
whether it's a baby or one that's this large,
without question, you need to seek medical attention.
Now they do make antivenom for the species
and not many people lose their lives to the snake,
but the makeup of the venom contains hematoxic,
cytotoxic and myotoxic venom so it will cause necrosis
and oftentimes people that are bitten on the foot
or the hand end up losing that limb.
And the way most bites happen are an accident.
Somebody steps to close to the snake
or they see a snake and decide,
okay I'm going to try to kill it.
I'm gonna harass it. I'm going to get it out of my yard.
The snake then becomes agitated
and that's when they will defend themselves with a strike.
In interacting with this snake tonight,
by being calm, by remaining as cool as possible,
this snake never even struck once at us,
which just shows you this is not an aggressive animal.
It's an animal that simply wanted to flee the situation.
Its first instinct was flight.
Let me see if I can get away.
At no point did it show us any sign of aggression?
So cool just being this close to a rattlesnake of this size.
I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
I'm going to just set the snake right down here
in the sand and let it slowly slither out through the tube.
And it's going to disappear back off into the desert.
The western diamondback rattlesnake
hails as the pinnacle of snake evolution,
yet this perfectly designed predator has unfortunately
been persecuted by humans out of unnecessary fear.
Deadly they are indeed, but it's important to remind you
that nearly all bites come as a result of people
interacting with, harassing
or trying to kill these reptiles.
If you see a rattlesnake in the wild follow this advice,
leave it alone.
In Arizona specifically, you can contact
a variety of wildlife removal services
or even your local fire department
and believe it or not they will come to your residence,
safely remove the snake and relocate it.
Rattlesnakes are an important balancer
of the desert ecosystem.
And the more we understand about them
the easier it becomes to accept
that they belong as a part of nature.
Be smart, be aware of your surroundings.
Always admire wildlife from a safe distance.
And I promise that hiking in the desert
will be a fun and enjoyable experience.
Hey, coyote pack.
If you enjoyed this heart racing encounter
with the desert's most notorious rattlesnake,
go back and take a look at one of its strangest rattlers
the quick moving sidewinder.
And don't forget, subscribe and click the notification bell
so you know, when the next adventure is about to begin.