Comments | ladymetaka: **screech**

ladymetaka

screech

Apr 29, 2005 19:58

I need to ask a question to ANYONE on here who can identify multiple kinds of snakes ( Read more... )

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miwasatoshi April 30 2005, 02:13:22 UTC

meatbunboy April 30 2005, 02:17:26 UTC

Didn't she say it was a foot long and a cm wide? Nothing you're posting fits.

miwasatoshi April 30 2005, 02:19:48 UTC

Juveniles of a species may be MUCH smaller than the posted "maximum size" of an animal. For example, Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes may be as large as 60 inches long, but I came across one that was merely ten inches long during a hike.

It is also springtime, and due to the extreme amount of rain the Southwest has received, there are many young snakes out and about.

miwasatoshi April 30 2005, 02:21:15 UTC

In other words : the snake that bit her dog was most likely a very, very scared child.

meatbunboy April 30 2005, 02:24:11 UTC

That's what I was just thinking. I had to look through a book to get my brain working first.

So even if it was a venemous snake, would a baby have venom?

miwasatoshi April 30 2005, 02:28:15 UTC

Yes : I live in the next state over, Arizona, so we have to learn about snakes in junior high school. (Though admittedly that was well over 10 years ago.) The venom of juvenile rattlesnakes is generally not as effective as that of adults, but it is still dangerous.

miwasatoshi April 30 2005, 02:24:12 UTC

It does say here:

Nearly all defensive strikes are precluded by a buzzing rattle, and many are in fact "dry bites" with no venom injected.

Note that if the rattle is damaged or severed (as is common), you won't hear it.

meatbunboy April 30 2005, 02:23:32 UTC

Knowing what dominant color it was would also help...

ladymetaka April 30 2005, 03:19:11 UTC

eeeeep, sorry about that, fixed now!

ladymetaka April 30 2005, 03:16:07 UTC

Kinda looked like that, but with the line higher up.. then again, it was kinda over the eyes, so you may be right >_< craaaaaap. She was still alive when I got home, I'll bring her inside so I can keep her under observation. I told Mom to take her to the vet tomorrow, so by then we should know for sure.

Juveniles don't have rattles, though? O_o I looked really carefully, and it was only hissing, I heard and saw no rattles.

miwasatoshi April 30 2005, 03:39:46 UTC

Thankfully that species has a very weak bite, and the bites often do not inject venom.

Definitely, get the dog looked at, she'll have some local injury to her skin and surrounding tissue, but I think she'll be fine. Dogs are resilient and seem to deal with snakebites better than comparable size humans.

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