Februari 14, 2017
(suspenseful music) - i'm coyote peterson. this morning we're in the sonoran desert exploring the back side of cat mountain. sun's just cresting over the horizon, which is the perfect time to find reptiles. let's break trail and see what we can find. (dramatic music) the southwest hails an epic backdrop for any adventure and there's no locationmore picture perfect
than the sonoran desert. today the crew and i areheaded out to capture some of this beauty,but trust us when we say looks can be deceiving. from the rock strewn ankle twisting terrain to the spike covered plant life, ready, (sighs) everything you come across stands to slow down even the most ambitious adventurers.
it's only like 7:30 in the morning. i'm already pouring sweat. it's really important to make sure you stay hydrated inthe desert at all times. (intense music) - [voiceover] oh hey. hey guys, there's a snake over here. - what? - [voiceover] jesus, matt no, back up. - careful, careful.
- where, where, where, where? alright, watch your foot aaron. chance come up slow. oh yeah, that is a western diamondback rattlesnake. here, let me come to this side. - [voiceover] whoa, careful, careful. - [coyote] yeah, okay. - [voiceover] here, he's big. - priority number one, guys, is safety. i wanna get that snake outta there.
i wanna be as careful as i can. he definitely senses that we're here now. he's got his tongue flicking out. he's basically sensing acouple warm body masses and he says okay this is not prey, these are potential predators. what's really difficultabout this situation is all this loose terrain. and the last thing iwant to happen, chance,
is for you to slip backwards when i've got that snakecoming outta the hole. okay, so i'm gonna gently work him out here. (snake rattles) wow, that is a big western diamondback. he's probably about four and a half, five feet long. alright, kinda get him under control a bit, wow and he is strong! what i'm gonna do is gently pin his head down.
that will allow me to get control of the snake. now this isn't gonna injure the snake in any way, but allow me to keep myself, you guys and the snake safer throughout this scene. okay. (exhales) alright, i'll tell ya what. nothing makes you more nervous than capturing a westerndiamondback rattlesnake on the side of a rock face like that.
and there ya have it, this is the largest venomous snake that lives in arizona. and he is absolutely beautiful. i wanna make sure that i have a firm, yet gentle hold on his head. and you can see these big puffy spots on the back of his head there. those are the venom glands and i definitely do not wanna get tagged by this snake.
this is the 2nd most venomous species that lives here in the sonoran desert, 2nd only to the coral snake. although these guys arefairly more aggressive, especially when provoked. now look at those eyes. this is a pit viper and what that means is they have heat sensing pits right in front of the nostrils. and that's how theysense predators or prey.
now the way you can tell the difference between an eastern diamondback and a westerndiamondback rattlesnake is that a western diamondback has black and white banding and the eastern has a black and tan banding. and that black and white banding has earned this snake the nickname coon tail. now, rattlesnakes are typically ambush predators. they'll lay in wait fora desert kangaroo rat,
maybe a lizard to come scurrying across its path, strike out and injectvenom with those fangs. and then what they'll do is follow that prey and as it begins to slowdown from the venom, then they've got theirmeal once they find it. this is a very large western diamondback and i'm curious to see how long those fangs are. and i'm sure so are you. this is totally fine,
i'm just gonna hold the stick out here, he'll open up hismouth and there you go. now you got those fangs out in the open. you come across this guyin the sonoran desert, you step back and give it respect. - [voiceover] does he have double fangs? - holy cow, he does. now rattlesnakes are constantlyreplacing their fangs. you can actually see hehas two sets of fangs.
so one of these sets is getting ready to drop out and then the new set will be in place so he can go out thereand hunt for his dinner. pretty cool to see a rattlesnakewith a double set of fangs. i'm gonna let those fangs back in. now the rattlesnake's fangs arejust a modified set of teeth that are hollow so thatthey can inject venom. like these little hypodermic needles filled with a mytotoxic, cytotoxic and hemotoxic venom
that's gonna put you in some serious pain. i'll tell ya what, you come out here and you search and you search for one of these snakes. trying to do my own job, and sure enough it's mark, director of breaking trail, that comes across the western diamondback. good find, buddy, good find. - i would give you a high five right now, but i think you need both your hands.
- yeah definitely needboth my hands right now. i never recommend you go out and try to capture or handle a rattlesnake like you saw me do here today. this is one of themost dangerous reptiles you can come across in the sonoran desert. and one of the most venomous rattlesnakes in the united states. now i always like to surewhenever i encounter an animal,
i put it back as close to the spot where i found it as possible. so i'm gonna let this guy back up into the shade here. alright buddy, there ya go. what a cool encounter with the largest venomous snake in the sonoran desert,the western diamondback. and so cool that it hada double set of fangs. i think i'm gonna call him tommy two fang, but why don't you guys tell me
what you think we shoulda named him. i'm gonna get the heckoutta the sonoran desert and get into the shade. i'm coyote peterson, be brave, stay wild. we'll see ya on the next adventure. if you thought thatwas one wild adventure, check out these other animals encounters. and don't forget, subscribe to follow me and the crew on this season of breaking trail.
this episode of breaking trail was brought to you by thebuypower card from capital one, every purchase brings you closer to a new chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac vehicle. (croaking and hooting)
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