A Sidewinder - Rattlesnake

Reggie walked upon this rattlesnake today when coming into the front courtyard and it was a family affair from there out. He turned around and ran the other way entering the house through the garage and yelling snake. We all went running outside to look, poke and ultimately bring out the pellet gun and shoot it. Ken had the honors of putting the 1st pellet into his body and the 2nd to the head. I'm certainly glad we weren't caught on video tape, because it would have been quite entertaining watching us jump, yell and scream...

The sidewinder is a type of rattlesnake that gets it's name because of the way it moves. Instead of slithering headfirst, in a rather outstretched manner, the sidewinder, Crotalus cerastes, thrusts it's head forward first then it's body in a sideways fashion. It's body is not held straight but rather in an "S" or serpentine shape. They actually push off the ground from two different places on their body. Their tracks look like a series of the letter "J" repeated over and over across the sand. It sounds like a cumbersome way of moving but it is extremely efficient especially in sandy terrain. Make no mistake about it, these snakes are very fast. And since they are rattlesnakes, they are venomous and potentially deadly to humans and other animals.