I think we’ve all heard the tell-tale sign that a rattlesnake is nearby, but despite how vocal these venomous snakes can be, they tend to be pretty hard to spot.
36 distinct species of rattlesnake are native to the America and while they prefer arid regions, they can live in any environment from deserts to dense forests to damp marshes. Basically, if there’s birds and small rodents around, these guys will figure out a way to survive.
The smallest rattlesnake species is the pigmy, which can grow to 24 inches in length, but the spectrum of rattlesnake sizes shoots up from there until it reaches the king of all rattlers, the eastern diamondback.
Found in the southeastern region of the US, these massive serpents can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh over 30 pounds, making it not only the largest of all rattlesnakes, but one of the heaviest venomous snakes on the face of the planet.
If left untreated, a bite from an eastern diamondback can cause death by killing red blood tells and damaging tissues, but fortunately fatalities are quite rare these days thanks to widespread availability of anti-venom and awareness of their danger.
A video was posted to TikTok recently which shows just how large these snakes can be.
A hunter was walking through the south Georgia woods on a warm fall day when he noticed something enormous slither past him at the base of tree. Upon closer look, it was one of the biggest rattlesnakes I’ve ever seen…
I mean, this guy was huge. Sure, it was long, but the girth of its body is what really impressed me; it looked like it had just swallowed a pool noodle.
Immediately, the eastern diamondback sensed the man coming close and began coiling up in a striking position and vibrated its tail to create the tell tale sign of “Get the hell out of there before I do something I don’t want to do”, which was enough to send chills up my spine just watching.
Man, I do love snakes, but seeing ones this big just out in the open makes you wonder just how big the ones that stay hidden are…
@rhettjcooper Warm days in south Ga got em moving #diamondback #rattlesnake #donttreadonme ♬ original sound – Rhett Cooper
