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Re: [at-l] snake phobia

At 07:45 AM 6/13/98 PDT, Alice Kauzlarich wrote:
>I heard today from a fella that saw a guy in the medical clinic that had
>gotten bit by a black snake. Hand all swollen, sicker than a dog. The dr.
>told him the black snakes cross with rattlers, therefore he had some venom
>in his system.  Anyone ever heard of snakes cross breeding?
>
>Highlander

I really doubt that black snakes cross with rattlers.  I have heard,
though, that many animal bites can easily become infected.  Also, older
rattlesnakes (including one I nearly stepped on last summer) can be nearly
black.

My (uninformed) guess is either:

(a) he was bitten by a dark colored rattlesnake
(b) he was bitten and his hand got infected
(c) this is an urban legend in the making (e.g. the woman who put her
	dog in the microwave to dry it off).

You know... it's not easy to get close to most snakes.  Black Rat Snakes
and Black Racers typically take off well before you get near them.  I
walked within a foot or so of two rattlesnakes last year (one on the Black
Forest trail in PA, and the other on the Quehanna trail in PA).  The first
one rattled like mad, but didn't strike.  The second didn't even turn
around to look at me until I started taking pictures.

-- Jim

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