Sport Climbing near Moab

Larry Harpe wrote:That is definitely a rattlesnake. You normally see multiple rattlers in those little caves.

Nope. Not a rattler. They can do a great imitation of one, though.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituo…

Jim Fox wrote: He was rattling at us. He was different looking than any rattler I have seen before. I believe he was a midget faded western rattler but they usually only get up to 24" long and this guy was a good 4-5 feet long. moabsunnews.com/get_out_and…

Well, look closely at the head of the one who's pic you posted. See the shape? That's not a pit viper head. And the markings...see the brown slash straight below the eye, and, the one that angles back from the eye? That's a great basin gopher snake. Very common. Can be super aggressive, and, can vibrate their tail, especially in leaves, to sound similar to a rattle snake. And, they'll strike at you too, and hiss.

Brian in SLC wrote: Nope. Not a rattler. They can do a great imitation of one, though. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituo…

I clicked on your link and got a bullsnake the first time.

Certainly looks like a gopher snake and would be the right size

Jim Fox wrote: I clicked on your link and got a bullsnake the first time. Certainly looks like a gopher snake and would be the right size

Yeah, jumped the gun. They're pretty similar snakes, bullsnakes and gopher snakes. Same species, different subspecies.

Brian in SLC wrote: Yeah, jumped the gun. They're pretty similar snakes, bullsnakes and gopher snakes. Same species, different subspecies.

I've seen plenty of bullsnakes but not fimiliar with the gopher snake. I think that's what he was but the buzzy/rattling sound threw me off (and kept me from getting too close). Didn't look like rattlers I've seen but I had been warned there were rattlesnakes at the base of Looking Glass, so I maybe jumped to conclusions. I used a zoom lens to get pix and never got real close....

Brian in SLC wrote: Yeah, jumped the gun. They're pretty similar snakes, bullsnakes and gopher snakes. Same species, different subspecies.

Well, good call. That is exactly what he was.

To be honest, I never heard him rattle myself but my climbing partner said he did & I had no reason to doubt it. Plus, the MP description of this climb repeatedly warns about rattlesnakes at the base of this climb, so I think I was too quick to assume it was a rattler (even though, like I said,it didn't look like any rattler I'd seen before).
Duh....

Brian in SLC wrote: Well, look closely at the head of the one who's pic you posted. See the shape? That's not a pit viper head. And the markings...see the brown slash straight below the eye, and, the one that angles back from the eye? That's a great basin gopher snake. Very common. Can be super aggressive, and, can vibrate their tail, especially in leaves, to sound similar to a rattle snake. And, they'll strike at you too, and hiss.

I went back and looked at the MP comments for this climb and noted that the person who posted the picture warning of rattlesnakes saw a "6 foot nonrattlesnake" as well as 2 rattlers.

I did see the heads of 2 more snakes way back in holes at base but couldn't see them well. The heads did look triangular shaped but hard to say. Maybe that's what my partner heard rattling?

Is it common to find gopher snakes and rattlers living in close prxoimity? Just curious.

I've seen many rattlesnakes there. I'm suprised that other snakes would hang out there too.