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An Arizona man found 20 rattlesnakes in his garage and called a snake wrangler in to have them removed after hearing a spine-chilling noise that sounded like a thousand cicadas singing in unison.
Snake wrangler Marissa Maki was called in to remove the snakes from his garage. It’s not uncommon for snake wranglers to find multiple rattlesnakes but she was still astonished by the haul.
In total, there were five adult western diamondback rattlesnakes and 15 juveniles western diamondback rattlers in the garage. Together, their rattlers created a cacophony that triggers a primal flight or fight response in every human as our species has been running from snakes for thousands of years. It’ll make the hair on your arm raise if you listen to it loudly enough.
Upon arrival, Marissa Maki can be heard saying “That is a lot of snakes. I’m not going to lie, this is crazy. I’m guessing more than one of these (adults) was a mom that had babies.” She was probably correct in that assessment as one of the five adult rattlesnakes was also pregnant.
Bryan Hughes who works with Marissa Maki found additional snake skins on the property and indicated that there were up to 40 rattlesnakes on the property at one point. He also said this was a ‘Rattlesnake Solutions’ record for the most snakes captured from one call.
It cannot be said for certain how the snakes entered the home. But they are believed to have gotten onto his property through a desert wash nearby that had recently flooded and potentially pushed the snakes to higher and drier land.
Fun Facts About Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes
Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes are gorgeous creatures with natural camouflage perfectly suited to their surroundings. Sitting coiled up alongside desert grass they blend seamlessly into the terrain. This likely contributes to Western Diamondbacks causing more fatal snake bites than any other species in Northern Mexico.
The species can be found in parts of Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and the southern tips of Nevada and California down into a huge portion of Mexico. Interestingly, the species lives at elevation up to 6,500 feet above sea level so the elevation range they inhabit is huge.
They are smaller than Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes which are the largest species of rattler in North America, but Western Diamondbacks still get big. They can grow over 6ft with the largest specimen measuring 7ft and can weigh up to 15 pounds.
Their hemotoxic venom targets, as the name implies, blood. It primarily targets blood vessels, blood cells, and the heart. Bites can lead to tissue damage, internal bleeding, necrosis, and can even be fatal. Fortunately, because it is a common species in the Southwest antivenin is often readily available to treat bites.