Herein I chronicle an incredible encounter with this dangerous snake sunning himself in the early morning near Canyon Lake, Arizona USA last week.
Any photographer worth their salt can't pass up a photographic opportunity like that and so, with cat-like agility, I instantly spring into action. I switch immediately to manual settings and set f/stop and shutter speed so that all I have to do is focus the camera to snap the shot.
My simple plan was to keep him herded in the open and dazzle and confuse him with quick, deft movements then stop momentarily to take award winning photographs in a variety of snake postures. I was hoping for a good strike pose. I was not disappointed.
There was a slight problem...
He was fast, angry and I got between him and his burrow. Not only that but he was a big sucker, somewhere between 5 and 6 feet long, and he was going back to his burrow even if he had to go through me to get there.
He decided to attack. The time delay for camera focus was so long that time after time the snake quickly got within striking distance and out of focus again before I could snap the shot.
Then he reared back with his head and held it curled high in the air in a coiled back position. His tongue was whipping wildly through the air. I knew it was my chance at reptilian photographic immortality.
This was it! I stood my ground less than 3 feet away from that menacing monster while positioning myself way down low at ground level and held the camera rock steady in my steely grip.
It was me, mano-a-mano, against the angry wrath of raw fury.
Then it happened. He struck. Through the lense I could see his head lunging toward me with his mouth gapping wide open and venom dripping from razor sharp fangs. At that moment, if I survived, I knew that image would make me famous.
I instinctively snapped this memorable picture that forever preserves that incredible moment:
The snake that attacked me is the lightning fast, bloodthirsty Pituophis Melanoleuces. It is the largest snake in all of Arizona. It is normally a nocturnal predator but might possibly eat human babies and photographers whole.
Oh, sure, now you are going to slap me with that non-venomous, no danger crap.
I'll have you know my life was in mortal danger every second. Only my superior agility and quick thinking saved me from certain death.
I knew it wasn't one of them really nasty ones, but I know the pee-my-pants feeling of running into a snake and not knowing what kind it is/was. Done that even in Arizona, along Sonoita Creek, but it rattled to let me know of its species, even before I saw it, that really leaves ya brown ribbon in the shorts. :)
Oh, sure, now you are going to slap me with that non-venomous, no danger crap.
With the technique you describe, it sounds as though you were in serious danger of ending up with a buttfull of cactus spines.
You get spines in the behind from cholla balls that break off when you back into them. They also get stuck on shoes when you step on them. That is why desert photographers carry a comb in their camera bags.
I knew it wasn't one of them really nasty ones, but I know the pee-my-pants feeling of running into a snake and not knowing what kind it is/was. Done that even in Arizona, along Sonoita Creek, but it rattled to let me know of its species, even before I saw it, that really leaves ya brown ribbon in the shorts. :)
At the time I could see that it did not have a rattle so wasn't a rattlesnake. I photographed a diamondback rattler in the wild one time and it was slower than a seven year itch even when mad at me.
But I can assure you that a gopher snake will attack you and move very fast if you get it ticked off enough.
To be honest I don't know if they have fangs or not. All I am sure of is that when he struck and I saw that gaping mouth coming straight toward me (and less than 6 inches away) I didn't have time to look closely... I was to busy jumping backward and taking a blurry picture toward the sky at the time. :)
LOL@Steve.
It was a good story and the shot is fantastic.
We know around this state that any snake could be one that might kill you. They have warning on TV and in the paper all the time. This is Rattlesnake country..what we have 14 different kinds or something like that.
I know you were B R A V E! LOL
You have to act more like your name sake Steve Erwin! 'Danger, Danger, Danger'...
With the technique you describe, it sounds as though you were in serious danger of ending up with a buttfull of cactus spines.
You get spines in the behind from cholla balls that break off when you back into them. ... That is why desert photographers carry a comb in their camera bags.
Thanks for the tip!
Do you think there's a market for some stylish Kevlar shorts?
LOL@Steve.
It was a good story and the shot is fantastic.
We know around this state that any snake could be one that might kill you. They have warning on TV and in the paper all the time. This is Rattlesnake country..what we have 14 different kinds or something like that.
I know you were B R A V E! LOL
You have to act more like your name sake Steve Erwin! 'Danger, Danger, Danger'...
Erwin? Pshawww! That wimp?
In my secret identity disguised as a mild mannered computer programmer no one suspects I face apocalyptic dangers every day but through my herculean efforts I save the world from certain destruction at the hands of unspeakable evils.
Scary encounter with forked tongue, way to go Steve, now run like hell. I have lived in the Southwest since 1977 and I have never seen one. What am I doing wrong????
Scary encounter with forked tongue, way to go Steve, now run like hell. I have lived in the Southwest since 1977 and I have never seen one. What am I doing wrong????
Brenda... the secret is to cover your entire body with snake sex pheromones. You can pick that up at any neighborhood rattlesnake shop. The male snakes come from miles around with tongues hanging out and ready for action. The female snakes will just come over to admire you.
