It might be rattlesnake birthing season in the Okanagan, but that doesnsa国际传媒檛 make the snake species more dangerous sa国际传媒� just a little more underfoot of humans.
This according to biologist and snake expert Dana Eye, of the Nksa国际传媒橫ip Cultural Centre, who said mid-August to mid-September rattlesnakes are giving birth and looking for food to prepare for hibernation. The snakes will be travelling to and from their dens, usually in higher elevations and on slopes.
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A rattlesnake will only strike and bite if it is the last resort, she said, adding that sa国际传媒渞attlesnakes are misunderstoodsa国际传媒� and are quite shy.
Those who encounter rattlesnakes, which are a threatened species, can determine if it is about strike if they coil up into an sa国际传媒淪sa国际传媒� shape. The reptiles can only strike about a third of their body length, so the best thing to do is to step away three to four feet and walk around them, she said.
Another way to avoid a dangerous encounter is to watch where you are walking. Such as, not hiking in long brush or shrub where you cansa国际传媒檛 see your feet and hands. If you do hike in high grass terrain, carry a stick to help see in front of you, according to Eye.
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sa国际传媒淭hey like to use rockpiles and shrubs and go under logs,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淪tep on top of logs. Donsa国际传媒檛 straddle them because a snake could be under them.sa国际传媒�
If bitten, it is important to get to a hospital right away.
sa国际传媒淒onsa国际传媒檛 drive yourself because you never know how you are going to react,sa国际传媒� Eye said. sa国际传媒淵ou have about three or four hours to get to a hospital before serious damage happens but it is completely dependent on the person.sa国际传媒�
Remove anything that restricts blood flow, she added.
sa国际传媒淭here is weird information out there about cutting the wound and sucking it out but that is wrong. It is best to let the venom go through the body as opposed to restricting to one area. Restricting it will actually increase the necrosis or degradation of the tissue.sa国际传媒�
Circle the swelling with a pen and then write the time, she added. Doing that every 15 to 20 minutes will measure how fast the venom spreads in the body. This will help the doctor determine if someone requires anti-venom.
Juvenile rattlesnakes can be difficult to differentiate from other non-venomous juvenile snake species, such as the Great Basin gopher and Western yellow-bellied racer snake, Eye added. They donsa国际传媒檛 have a rattle until they shed their first skin.
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sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 best just to assume that they are rattlesnakes and donsa国际传媒檛 touch any of them. Donsa国际传媒檛 pick them up. People will pick up a young rattlesnake, and think that it is a gopher snake and it bits them.sa国际传媒�
Eye studied the reproductive ecology of female rattlesnakes at the Nksa国际传媒橫ip Cultural Centre. She said more is known about males than females. But, shesa国际传媒檚 hoping to change that.
By tracking the females, Eye has discovered they return to the same birthing rookeries each time they breed.
sa国际传媒淚t may indicate the importance of these sites to protect them and understand more about them,sa国际传媒� said Eye, who is currently also enrolled in a mastersa国际传媒檚 program at Thompson Rivers University.
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