# Diamond Back Rattler



## solar 17 (Feb 10, 2010)

Just got this in an e-mail, 14ft 6in diamond back rattler...cheers solar 17 [Baden]


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## ssnakekid (Feb 10, 2010)

THATS HUGE...didnt thnk they were ment to grow that big!!!


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## rash (Feb 10, 2010)

lol, i think someone has a 14"6' nose! haha


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## fabregasreptiles (Feb 10, 2010)

wow!!!! that has got to be one of the biggest venemous snakes in the world. but king cobras can grow bigger


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## -Matt- (Feb 10, 2010)

That's some good trick photography.


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## ChimeraProNG (Feb 10, 2010)

Very funny:lol::lol::lol: i had to look twice before i realised it was a trick. Did anybody see a similar photo in a S&T Mag awhile back? Another man eating rattler:lol::lol::lol::lol:


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## fabregasreptiles (Feb 10, 2010)

if thats a trick that is crazy coz it looks so real. to good to be true


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## Dipcdame (Feb 10, 2010)

good trick! that pole is facing towards the camera.................... it's magnified because of the distance of the officer, to the |MUCH closer distance of the snake to the camera!!!!!! GOOD ONE!! LOL


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## lloydy1 (Feb 11, 2010)

i dont get it :S

lol how is the pole facing the camera?


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## -Matt- (Feb 11, 2010)

The pole and snake are much closer to the camera than the policeman and his car...therefore making the snake look enormous!

If not I wouldnt like to shake the hand of the guy holding the pole coz he must be bloody strong!


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## -Andrew- (Feb 11, 2010)

The pole is right up close to the camera & the trick is that
the head of the snake , the ground & the officers feet have been cut
out of the pic so as to not show distance between the two.


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## nathan09 (Feb 11, 2010)

wholey moley!


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## Waterrat (Feb 11, 2010)

Optical illusion created by wide angle lens and distance btw the snake and background. There was one like that on the internet before (also diamondback). We have seen the same trick with crocodile on the back of a trailer. Good fun though.


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## crotalus1 (Feb 11, 2010)

Mmm, and just love the tongs, they probably broke the poor snake's neck!


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## dtulip10 (Feb 11, 2010)

crotalus1 said:


> Mmm, and just love the tongs, they probably broke the poor snake's neck!



clearly you have never been around vipers like some of the north american rattlers its the only safe way to handle them, because they can strike at two times there body length so tailing is not an option.


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## robertirwin2008 (Feb 11, 2010)

found the news article it was 7ft 3in. i just googled ''st johns county diamond back rattler'' and found it right away.


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## robertirwin2008 (Feb 11, 2010)

The photos, taken by an unidentified civilian, were an unintentional trick of camera perspective. The captured snake was closer to the photographer than the law enforcement officer shown in the background. This made the venomous reptile appear larger than life.


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Feb 11, 2010)

QUOTE] 
clearly you have never been around vipers like some of the north american rattlers its the only safe way to handle them, because they can strike at two times there body length so tailing is not an option. 
[/QUOTE]
That rattlesnake would have died from injuries from the way it is being held.
The article
Thanks Bob
http://www.news4jax.com/news/21162885/detail.html


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## Waterrat (Feb 11, 2010)

dtulip10 said:


> clearly you have never been around vipers like some of the north american rattlers




Clearly, rattlers are not vipers. They belong to the Crotalidae family.


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## SLACkra (Feb 11, 2010)

Actually I believe they are in the family Viperidae sub family Crotalinae.


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## crotalus1 (Feb 11, 2010)

Dtulip10 wrote:
"clearly you have never been around vipers like some of the north american rattlers its the only safe way to handle them, because they can strike at two times there body length so tailing is not an option."
Sorry mate, but I have been with these things....
PS Have you ever heard of using a snake hook?


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## redbellybite (Feb 11, 2010)

Police then called Brandon Booth, a professional trapper. 

"When I got there, I looked at it and said, 'That's bigger than 6 feet,'" Booth said. "I didn't have time to really think. I just jumped out of the truck with my gig and got him. He wasn't going to get away." 

Booth said he had no choice but to kill the venomous snake because there were lots of people around and a venomous snake that big could easily kill someone. 

He said he usually won't kill a snake unless it's venomous. 

" I'm not a snake wrestler."
Well glad they called a 'professional ' in ...bloody hell he only kills the venomous now


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## waruikazi (Feb 11, 2010)

Waterrat said:


> Optical illusion created by wide angle lens and distance btw the snake and background. There was one like that on the internet before (also diamondback). We have seen the same trick with crocodile on the back of a trailer. Good fun though.



That's a 30ft rake don't you know.


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## Sock Puppet (Feb 11, 2010)

dtulip10 said:


> because they can strike at two times there body length so tailing is not an option.


How does that work? Say it's a 7' snake, does it extend its full 7' length, then fly through the air for another 7' to get that strike range of twice its body length?


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## Snakelove (Feb 11, 2010)

Tonksy said:


> How does that work? Say it's a 7' snake, does it extend its full 7' length, then fly through the air for another 7' to get that strike range of twice its body length?


snakes are stretchy creatures.


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## waruikazi (Feb 11, 2010)

Snakelove said:


> snakes are stretchy creatures.



And bitey.


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## pythonmum (Feb 11, 2010)

Why didn't he use a shovel?


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## slither (Feb 11, 2010)

rattle snakes are known as pit vipers by most i have worked with them in america and i have seen them fling there entire body into a strike and literally launch at you easily striking there entire body mainly diamond backs i have seen do this


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## redbellybite (Feb 11, 2010)

slither said:


> rattle snakes are known as pit vipers by most i have worked with them in america and i have seen them fling there entire body into a strike and literally launch at you easily striking there entire body mainly diamond backs i have seen do this


 so as you have worked over there ...is it common practice for the snake proffesionals to kill the venomous ones as a rule? ....are they not a protected animal as they are here in Australia?:|


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## dtulip10 (Feb 12, 2010)

Waterrat said:


> Clearly, rattlers are not vipers. They belong to the Crotalidae family.



ratlers are a species from the viperidae family.


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## dtulip10 (Feb 12, 2010)

Tonksy said:


> How does that work? Say it's a 7' snake, does it extend its full 7' length, then fly through the air for another 7' to get that strike range of twice its body length?



yes they have been known to throw there hole body off the ground.


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## waruikazi (Feb 12, 2010)

dtulip10 said:


> ratlers are a species from the viperidae family.



Rattlers are a genus not a species.


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## dtulip10 (Feb 12, 2010)

waruikazi said:


> Rattlers are a genus not a species.



they are several species from the genus Crotalus


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## waruikazi (Feb 12, 2010)

dtulip10 said:


> they are several species from the genus Crotalus



We know.


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## slither (Feb 12, 2010)

red bellie no not at all i am only speaking from what i have seen and learnt over there they are all good im sure there are some bad eggs as there are everyhere alot of usa keepers and researchers tend to use and teach grabbers or tongs where as this isnt a popular way in australia


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## Sdaji (Feb 12, 2010)

pythonmum said:


> Why didn't he use a shovel?



They couldn't find one with a 40' handle 

I'm surprised at the reaction to the picture. Even if it was draped over that car it wouldn't be anywhere near 14' long, but it's clearly much closer to the camera than the car - even the focus is clearly different on the snake and the car. It looks about 4-5' long to me.

You don't need tongs to catch a Rattler. When I found my first one we picked it up with a hook with no trouble, and not that you need to, we restrained it both head-grabbed it. There probably wasn't a set of tongs within a few hundred km (or miles - km don't exist out there).

Vipers have an impressive strike, but not their whole body length, let alone twice.


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