BE SOME LIMITS ON CAR WASHING AND POOLS. AND AS TEMPERATURES RISE ACROSS OUR STATE, RATTLESNAKES. THEY ARE EMERGING FROM HIBERNATION. NEW MEXICO IS HOME TO AROUND 50 SNAKE SPECIES, AND RATTLESNAKES ARE THE ONLY VENOMOUS ONES IN ALBUQUERQUE. WILDLIFE EXPERTS WARN RESIDENTS TO STAY CALM, KEEP YOUR DISTANCE AND NEVER TRY TO HANDLE ONE. IF Y
High temps in NM mean rattlesnake season has arrived
Rattlesnakes let us know they are near with their rattle when they scrape horny rings together.
This is the time of year when rattlesnakes come out of hibernation, and if you live in New Mexico, it’s a good idea to know some dos and don’ts about these poisonous, potentially dangerous, and somewhat misunderstood creatures.With help from the New Mexico State University publication “New Mexico Snakes Information for New Mexico Homeowners,” here are some basics:First of all, the seven rattlesnake species do us a favor by living up to their name — that is, the sound they make when their horny rings scrape together to make their identifying sound. Young rattlesnakes start with one ring that makes little or no sound, and then each time they shed, another is added, and the rattle gets more audible.Most have triangular-shaped heads, and different rattlesnake species are different colors that often resemble their surroundings: brown, gray, green, red, pink, or yellow.Some non-poisonous snakes may be mistaken for rattlesnakes when they are in grass or dry leaves, but it’s best to play it safe. Keep your distance and never try to handle one. If someone gets bitten, call 911 and get medical attention immediately. Until then, keep them calm to minimize circulation, apply a sterile dressing, and immobilize the limb below heart level. Wrap an elastic band above the bite, but not so tight that the circulation is cut off. Do not wash the wound. Likely places to find rattlesnakes around a house are firewood or hay stacks, old lumber and junk piles, mulched gardens or flower beds, untrimmed shrubs, unmowed lawns and uncut fields, pond and stream banks where there is debris, cluttered basements and attics where rodents or bats may be present, and feed storage areas in barns where rodents may be present.The seven species are the rock rattlesnake, which inhabits isolated mountain ranges in southern New Mexico; the western diamondback rattlesnake that is the most sighted and is found throughout the state; the western (prairie) rattlesnake that is found in a variety of habitats statewide; the Mohave rattlesnake found in southern New Mexico (along with southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and the Chihuahuan Desert); the black-tailed rattlesnake that favors mountainous and desert habitats in southwestern and central New Mexico; the Massasauga likes desert grassland and sandy areas and is a smaller species whose bites are less poisonous but still very painful; and the ridgenose rattlesnake, listed as a threatened species seen only in the southwestern “boot heel” of the state.
This is the time of year when rattlesnakes come out of hibernation, and if you live in New Mexico, it’s a good idea to know some dos and don’ts about these poisonous, potentially dangerous, and somewhat misunderstood creatures.
With help from the New Mexico State University publication “New Mexico Snakes Information for New Mexico Homeowners,” here are some basics:
First of all, the seven rattlesnake species do us a favor by living up to their name — that is, the sound they make when their horny rings scrape together to make their identifying sound. Young rattlesnakes start with one ring that makes little or no sound, and then each time they shed, another is added, and the rattle gets more audible.
Most have triangular-shaped heads, and different rattlesnake species are different colors that often resemble their surroundings: brown, gray, green, red, pink, or yellow.
Some non-poisonous snakes may be mistaken for rattlesnakes when they are in grass or dry leaves, but it’s best to play it safe. Keep your distance and never try to handle one. If someone gets bitten, call 911 and get medical attention immediately. Until then, keep them calm to minimize circulation, apply a sterile dressing, and immobilize the limb below heart level. Wrap an elastic band above the bite, but not so tight that the circulation is cut off. Do not wash the wound.
Likely places to find rattlesnakes around a house are firewood or hay stacks, old lumber and junk piles, mulched gardens or flower beds, untrimmed shrubs, unmowed lawns and uncut fields, pond and stream banks where there is debris, cluttered basements and attics where rodents or bats may be present, and feed storage areas in barns where rodents may be present.
The seven species are the rock rattlesnake, which inhabits isolated mountain ranges in southern New Mexico; the western diamondback rattlesnake that is the most sighted and is found throughout the state; the western (prairie) rattlesnake that is found in a variety of habitats statewide; the Mohave rattlesnake found in southern New Mexico (along with southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and the Chihuahuan Desert); the black-tailed rattlesnake that favors mountainous and desert habitats in southwestern and central New Mexico; the Massasauga likes desert grassland and sandy areas and is a smaller species whose bites are less poisonous but still very painful; and the ridgenose rattlesnake, listed as a threatened species seen only in the southwestern “boot heel” of the state.
