great basin rattler

[Dylan8i]

spotted on the 4th of july, in zion NP. i was only 15 mins from help, but i was by myself and didn't really have enough reason to try catching him (herpetologist in training), so after i snapped a few shots, he turned around and retreated off the trail.

[Kokopeli]

With all these pics of rattlers being posted, I'll have to see if I can't get out and rustle up a few of the pacific diamond backs that are in my area.

[Dylan8i]

i always keep an eye out for them, and jsut nto for photos- guess that happens when you always hike in sandals :-)

i have a pic of the faded midget rattlesnake i got to but the photo sucks, cause i only had time to snap one with and 1 w/o a flash and move on becuase the National Park boat was waiting, so there is a strong light/shadow line and the snake is 1/2 under a rock.


i wish it was just that easy to go out and rustle some up though, i'd be doing it every day :-)

[paulnj]

Sandals? My god my good man, I were technica/montrail/vasque from 121 degrees to -20 degrees. Sandals leave those toes too exposed for me

Nice rattler, but the head seems a bit out of focus maybe?

I thought about going into herpetology in 1988(senior year) , but at the time only one was employed by NJ WFG and only part time. I honestly have no fear of nature or snakes having raised everything from AZ mountain kings/BOIDS to eyelash vipers/western DB rattler/ gaboon. If my GF wasn't so afraid I would be breeding albino boas and some rare formof viper still.

[Lava Lamp]

Boy. Nice pic. I'd be really excited to find and photograph one, but I'm thinking 500mm is in order. No phobia -- just a healthy respect kind of fear.

[Dylan8i]

Yeah i hike in sandals ( alot easier out west than back east due to mudd and what not) because i don't need ankle support, and hate when sand gets stuck in shoes. plus i have only kicked 2-3 cactus/ yucca all summer so...


that picture was taken full zoomed out with my canon 1s is so it is equivalent to over 200mm i would have gotten closer but he would have probbably turned and fled even quicker. i was probbably 10 feet away from him.

[Dylan8i]

paul
and i looked at his head and i can't tell what happened, but i don't think its out of focus, i think it might just be a complex scale pattern that my camera didn't really pick up. his head is confined within the rest of his body, and no other part of his body is that out of focus, so i don;t know how his head could be.

[paulnj]

That why I said "maybe? " It looks as if it OOF a tad from movement, but really isn't..

Strange, maybe it's just compression?

[Dylan8i]

heres a crop, it may also be it just doesn;t stand out from the backgrouns as well. but i did notice that to, and in the other photos i have of it, it seems to be the same way.

[paulnj]

I think you nailed it ..no BG seperation may be it?