Unveiling The Predators Of Rattlesnakes In Texas

I think there''s something that most Texans can settle on - we do not like rattlesnakes. With the weather starting to get warmer and most of us doing spring cleaning, either around the garage or out & #xA 0; by the shed, be prepared to meet up with a slithery animal.
Throughout Texas we have several rattlesnakes to be on the lookout for. One is the Western Diamondback likewise understood by its & #xA 0; scientific & #xA 0; biological name genus Crotalus. The diamondback rattlesnake is brown with diamond-shaped markings in white and black and can grow to be as much as four-and-a-half feet long.
There''s the Massasauga Rattlesnake. Its pigmentation is light gray with brown and white with some oval blotches on its back. It is generally discovered in the main meadows of Texas and around the swamps between East Texas and Louisiana.
There is likewise a smaller sized rattlesnake referred to as the Desert Massasauga. This snake is found mostly in West Texas in the Trans-Pecos area from the Western Panhandle to the Lower Rio Grande Valley. This little fella threatens and can slip up on you.
All these rattlesnakes have 11 predators who hunt & #xA 0; them. While Wildlife Informer magazine & #xA 0; and other professionals say there are just 10 predators, the reality & #xA 0; stays that & #xA 0; there are 11. Yet they still have actually not handled to put rattlesnakes on the endangered types or extinction list.

Here are & #xA 0; 11 predators who take advantage of rattlesnakes in the Lone Star State:

1. Coyotes - this has been a long-lasting fight with & #xA 0; rattlesnakes trying to avoid coyotes
2. Eagles - while Texas has eagles we don't frequently see them within our cities
3. King Snakes - they do exist in Texas and their favorite treat is a delicious little rattler
4. Hawks - typical all throughout the state, I have seen these birds flying and diving down picking up mice and snakes
5. Roadrunners - these fast little guys I have recently discovered in my back pasture waiting patiently behind my storage structures. I questioned why they were there. Now I know why.
6. Owls - at your house where I''ve lived for numerous decades, we have always had owls hovering overhead. Need to be the snakes.
7. Mongoose - while the Small Indian Mongoose is foreign to Texas, it is believed & #xA 0; to have actually introduced to the area within the last century
8. Badgers -  & #xA 0; these are & #xA 0; normally discovered in the grassy field and deserts of West Texas
9. Black Racers snakes - These slithery animals are cousins of the rattlesnakes and discovered in the eastern third of Texas. They choose to be in the forests and rocky ridges of Texas.
10. Possums - for the record these are my # 2 favorites since they can not contract rabies. Ask any possum you see and they will tell you they like to consume ticks, fleas, and all type of snakes.
11. Humans - Also called & #xA 0; the & #xA 0; Sweetwater Jaycees, well-known around the world for being the # 1 predator of rattlesnakes in Texas. And yes, similar to all the other predators the & #xA 0; Jaycees do consume them.
    Sources: & #xA 0; Texas Parks and Wildlife, & #xA 0; Reptile How, and & #xA 0; Wildlife Informer

According to Texas Parks & & Wildlife, & #xA 0; ReptileHow.com, and WildlifeInformer.com, & #xA 0; bear in mind that while many rattlesnakes don't have lethal venom, their bites can trigger unbearable pain and long-term muscle damage.

APPEARANCE: Here are the family pets prohibited in each state

Due to the fact that the guideline of exotic animals is delegated states, some companies, consisting of The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large felines, bears, primates, and large toxic snakes as animals.
Keep reading to see which family pets are prohibited in your house state, along with throughout the nation.Gallery Credit: Elena Kadvany LOOK: Stunning animal pictures from all over the worldFrom grazing Tibetan antelope to migrating queen butterflies, these 50 photos of wildlife all over the world capture the incredible grace of the animal kingdom. The upcoming gallery runs sequentially from air to land to water, and concentrates on birds, land mammals, water life, and pests as they work in pairs or groups, or sometimes all on their own.Gallery Credit: Nicole Caldwell LOOK: 30 interesting realities about sleep in the animal kingdomGallery Credit: Katherine Gallagher