OMG guys.. i am so overjoyed and excited. for the first time in my own home state i have had an encounter, sighting and gotten photographs (albeit very crap ones, but hey i didnt want to get bit and my barn owner snapped them) of a species up for candidacy for being listed as an endangered species in my state.
So as a participating member of center for biological diversity (volunteer not paid) in the spring and summer months i tend to record data and finding of wetland, lake and creek life in my state where i roam. taking photographs and documenting sightings and number counts (catch and release) for native species and also keeping an eye out for invasive ones.
well today i was hiking with my goat and my barn owner on her property where i board my horse. she took me to the far back areas where the drainage creeks have made some beautiful wetlands and streams. we spent 3 hours trying to hand catch an enormous rainbow brook trout heading upstream (i wanted to measure its size and markings. as i had never seen one in this area before. and they are a game fish.) but we couldnt get it haha.
he or she was too smart and fast for us. got slapped a few times too lol. we eventually gave up and just let it head on its merry way and began recording the other fish and amphibians in the area.
So my barn owner was struggling to get up out of the creek so i gave her a hand and right before she put her foot down on the bank i shoved her back into the water as i noticed a snake i had never seen before and could not identify was in her foot path. michigan has no native venomous species to my knowledge at that time, but we do have a invasive water moccasin occassionally and escaped illegal exotic pets. it was laying perfectly still lucky for us. and she kept saying it was fine because it looked dead. Now i was raised in texas summers. i have been attacked by copperheads and rattlers before. and this snake looked similar to a rattlesnake to me. it was so bizzarre!
so she goes to grab it and i backhand her (i know im so aggressive, it was instinctual)
and try to convince her to keep her distance as i have no idea what it is capable of. i had never really seen such a passive and sluggish snake here that looked like this. it was a juvenile for sure but the shape and markings and bead like kernels near the end of the tail looked suspicious. so being trained in dealing with wildlife like snakes from my texan family i nabbed a hooked end stick and lifted toward the front under the head and sure enough the little guy wasnt dead. very tolerant snake im so glad he was such a good sport with us. not to mention we were very lucky this species is apparently known for being docile.
so i lift it and it springs toward the other bank and begins moving i kid you not like a sidewinder. that is NOT a northern water snake or a fox snake which the species its been identified as by dnr can often be confused with. and then it jumped into the water and made its getaway without harming either of us.
I reported it to dnr after my suspicions and sure enough my barn owners land is home to a species know as the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. and is Indeed venomous. it has a very low concentration of venom and rarely does anyone ever die from a bite from this particular snake and it actually is michigan's only known venomous native snake species. (its so rare i wasnt even aware of it). they have very characteristic burrows that look like crayfish burrows, are very sluggish and rarely will rattle or strike a human even when provoked, and prefer the banks of water drainages.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12201-32995--,00.htmlThey are currently listed as endangered in most states and are a protected species in all as their decline has been devastating. In my state however they are currently only protected and listed as a critically threatened species of special concern. and are conducting a census of all wild snakes to evaluate them for endangered status here.
Now i will be honest, had i had an axe or machete on me like i keep on me down south i probably would have just killed it before amy could step on it.due to it looking so similar to a common rattlesnake in markings. afraid its an instantanious flinch of mine.
I love snakes, but the venomous ones make me very nervous and protective as i lost a dog to one once when i was 11. and almost lost another in the same fight. i was saved by my great aunts two dogs coalie their chow and sydney their cattlehound. when i tripped on a woodpile near their catfish pond and landed in the path of a very large (and aggressive rattlesnake) the dogs killed it but coalie took the fatal bite. and if it comes down to it now between me or the snake, its gonna be the snake. It saddens me that i could have un intentionally killed a threatened species. i am so glad neither of us were hurt nor the snake.
So as i am never for anyone going out and intentionally harming snakes or killing them needlessly i feel the need to really share this as i myself am usually very instictual with snakes as i fear being bit, that we should all become very familiar with our little known endangered and threatened area species so we are aware of not only the dangers but the laws and concervation regarding them. i cannot justify harming these beautiful native rattlesnakes just because they are venomous. especially after this encounter and that snake giving me such a patient response even when i clearly threatened it by removing it from amy's path. it has def made me re-evaluate my personal experiences.
The snakes are so lucky to have taken up residence with my barn owners property as they are very welcoming to wildlife and predators (they even have fox dens they leave alone out in their buffalo fields). because after her and i talked she has decided to apply with DNR for a safe harbor agreement for these amazing little guys. we are just keeping her children way away from that area. (we did not see any other nests outside of that small area at the way back of the property, its secluded anyway). Now i also know to where tall boots and keep my wits about me if i go surveying again down there.
Who would have known a species so rare would have been here in my town this whole time
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not to mention it makes one a better observer and you will see more if you are more aware and calm. so many tiny creatures we dont know we are sharing space with. doesnt mean we need to be enemies but try our best to respect one anothers space. 