[DesertRhino]

I stepped on a rattler’s tail the same way out on White Sands missile range. No rattle till I stepped on him. Small buggy-whip size thing a couple of feet long, about as thick as a thumb. I let out a girl sounding noise I didn’t know I could even make, launched straight up till the soles of my boots were about 3 feet in the air, then somehow flew about 4 feet sideways.

I didn’t get bit by some miracle.

[doorgunner69]

Forty or so years ago, was in a car passenger seat with my girlfriend mid-afternoon. Up in the Santa Monica mountains, enjoying the view for a while. Sunny and hot.

After a while, opened the passenger door to step out. Just before putting my foot down, saw a very thick snake slithering out from under the car. Ended in rattles. Guess he was enjoying the shade.

Snakes spook me bad.

[rlmorel]

Pfft. If I stepped on a rattler I’d make a girl sounding noise.

When I lived in the Philippines, they found a king cobra in the bottom floor of the house next to us, all coiled up in their carport.

[going hot]

Them snakes will bring out the best in yas.

[fr_freak]

I stepped on a rattler’s tail the same way out on White Sands missile range. No rattle till I stepped on him...I didn’t get bit by some miracle.

If you stepped on him, then he probably couldn't coil to strike. You either surprised him (unlikely) or he was trying to look like a stick hoping you'd passs by him.

The reservoir in CA that I used to walk around daily was rattlesnake central. I ran into them so often I became the rattlesnake whisperer.

From my observation, if you walked up on them out in the open, like on a trail, especially a paved one, and there was no place for them to hide or blend in, they would coil before you got close, and rattle and hiss when you got near.

If they were in brush or something, they just lay real still to avoid being seen. They coil and rattle only after they realize that plan ain't working, usually because you're just about to step on them.

The ones that made me jump out of my shoes were the quiet ones in the brush or rocks who waited until you were on top of them, literally next step is on their backs while you're looking at the blue sky and daydreaming, and then started rattling. I never knew I could fly. That rattle goes straight to your nervous system somehow.

[Theophilus]

i saw a good friend of mine jump like that ar WSMR. I wanted to look around at yhe top of the pass from Las Cruces at twilight. He stayed in the car because of snakes. He came looking for me and on the way back to the car, the snake saw him and rattled first. I’ve never seen someone jump like that before or since but I jumped pretty high as I passed one on Carr Peak in AZ.

[Cecily]

I think those are called cat-like reflexes. When cats sense danger, they jump away immediately and figure out what is going on later.