Many people shudder at the thought of snakes (if so, you are not alone, even though we know they are not slimy and are quick to move away from people), so imagine the thoughts in the head of Stijn Wielandt, a research scientist in the Energy Geosciences Division, when he found a rattlesnake next to his bike as he was leaving the Lab late one afternoon. 

“I was leaving using the northern entrance to Building 85B, and I was immediately confronted with a rattlesnake in front of me next to my bike,” he said. “The snake started rattling its tail and came towards me, so I dropped my bike and jumped back inside the building. Since the snake stayed in front of the door and kept rattling its tail at me, I called Site Operations and told them that an aggressive rattlesnake was blocking my way out of the building.”

The advice in snake-human interactions is to back off, which is what Stijn did. The snake moved away so Stijn could grab his bike and pedal home.

While interactions with rattle snakes are rare at the Lab, they are a possibility, especially in less-traveled areas, off paths and roadways, and in the east canyon hills. What is the best rattlesnake avoidance advice?

• Stay on paths; snakes like tall grasses. Be cautious around wood, rock, or rubble piles; tarps; and other off-path features that could harbor snakes.
• Make noise if you see a snake; they tend to avoid noise.
• Don’t approach or try to handle them; give them room to move away.
• Snakes use their surroundings to thermoregulate. On hotter days, they may seek shady spots. On colder days, they may stretch across pavement to soak up heat.  Therefore, you may encounter them in unexpected places, even in the middle of a path or walkway.
• And from Stijn, if you see a snake, step away and wait for them to move on.  They will.

If you want to get close safely to a rattlesnake, visit Tyro at the Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek. 

Resources

California Department of Fish and Wildlife – Human-Wildlife Contacts: Snakes

CaliforniaHerps.com – Living with Rattlesnakes

UC Pest Management – Rattlesnakes

Mt. Diablo Interpretive Association – Northern Pacific Rattlesnake