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Can you tell what this is?

StormRose

StormRose

Looking for Marbles
A friend of mine in Rio Rancho, NM found this critter hiding in her back yard and managed to catch her son before he picked it up. He thought it was a corn snake. :D

She sent the pic to me, asking if I could ID it, but I'm not so hot at identifying snakes that I don't personally keep. I thought it might be a rattler considering her location and the scale texture, but I'm just taking a wild guess.

Would any of you care to try and hazard a guess from the little slice she managed to photograph?

Thanks!!
 

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Yes, it is a rattlesnake. Corns are not native to NM (although it is always possible to find an escaped pet just about anywhere). She should teach her son to never pick up any wild animal of any kind until he is old enough to be able to identify them.

Some kids here in SW Florida were playing with a dead bat a few days ago. It was found to carry rabies, and now there is a nationwide search for them to get vaccinated in time. Of course you don't have to worry about rabies with herps, but there are enough possible problems with various kinds of wild animals that I always suggest teaching small children that pets of any kind are not scary if the owner is supervising, but wild animals of any kind (including domestic animals running loose) should be avoided by kids. Just a good safety precaution if they are too young to understand the possible dangers, yet a way to avoid unduly scaring them about animals, either.
 
Thanks so much Kathy! I'm amazed my hunch was correct. I'll pass on your message to her.

Because of all of the animals we keep, my kids are pretty fearless when it comes to any animal they come across. I'm always reminding them to observe wild animals from a distance with their eyes and not their hands, and even approach tame animals with caution. Your story is a good reminder that even something that appears harmless can put you in a life threatening situation.

Thanks again!
 
Definitely a rattlesnake ;) And that face to me looks like a Crotalus scutulatus or Mojave Green.. I don't know if they have those out there or not, but definitaly not something you wanna get tagged by.. I am happy her son didn't pick it up.. I would have that guy relocated away from the house. And definitely teach him not to pick up any snake in the wild unless he is told it is ok.

I love the little blue eyed face on that guy..
 
Are their eyes normally that blue?

I thought the face was pretty cool too, but I thought maybe it was getting ready to shed.
 
Yes, the only time we ever see snakes "in shed" is in hiding, usually in old buildings, or in palm frond boots, etc. Not sure that I have ever seen a "blue eyed" snake out cruising on the road or other out in the open situations. And since most of the rattlesnakes we have ever seen have been out on the road or other similar, open situations, they were not ready to shed. Most of the snakes we have ever seen in shed have been rats, corns, etc, in hiding, not rattlers.
 
Looks like an atrox in blue. That's a Western Diamondback. I don't think "scuts" are found that far east, but I could be wrong...

Regardless of the subspecies, it is without a doubt a rattlesnake.

I teach my daughter to never touch a snake she can't ID. She is not allowed to touch any snake we find until/unless she can positively ID it. So far, she has been able to ID and handle gophersnakes, rubber boas, and longnose. She also knows rattlesnakes, and knows not to go near them.

We also do not pet dogs that are not with an owner, or cats that we don't know. To be honest...I worry more about stray dogs than rattlesnakes with her. She will be 5 next month, and still has the rose-colored glasses on with dogs. Snakes she knows can be potentially dangerous. Dogs are not so cut and dry, and she sometimes "forgets" that she can't pet them without an owner present...
 
Good thing your friends son didn't go near it, phew!!! It might have been extra aggressive while in shed, and he definitely would have been in serious trouble.
 
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