Almost daily since the sun began warming things up here in Del Norte, my co-workers have diligently warned me to look out for the rattlesnakes when I go out for a run at lunch or when I ride/walk home from work. I usually dismiss this with an, "I will."
Tuesday last week as I was having difficulty with my front derailleur on my ride home I looked up in time to see a gray snake run over by my front tire on soft sand. Knowing I couldn't stall out, being clipped in my pedals, I sped up to decrease the chance of a retaliatory strike. After a couple of rounds of my pedals I looked back to see if it slithered away only to see in my periphery the snake being flung around by my back wheel. As if my adrenaline was not pumping quickly enough, I successfully vaulted out of my pedals and dropped the bike and did everything but squeal like little girl.
The snake was laid across my back tire head up and rattling its tail, no doubt a bit dazed by taking two circles on my back tire. Through the adrenaline, I somehow was able to call Sandra and asked her to pack up the kids and the BB gun. While awaiting her arrival, the snake slithered off of my tire and coiled in the shade of my bike.
Sandra and the kids arrived, and got to hear the rattle of the snake. After removing my bike, I courageously (not really if you look at the picture) put a well-placed silver BB from my trusty childhood Daisy pump action air rifle right to the back of the head killing the snake instantly...
Or so we thought. This guy had some serious "reflex" movement, therefore, Zach ensured his death with a second BB at point blank range.
Or so we thought. Thinking he must be dead, we allowed the kids to feel the snake on the ground, when it started moving AGAIN! Nathan got the honor of killing the snake for the final time with the 3rd well-placed BB.
Or so we thought. After placing the flacid snake into a gallon ziploc bag and sealing it, Sandra and the kids pilled into the van to head home while I continued my ride home. While it lay on the floorboard of the passenger seat, the bag began to move, and we're not talking small "reflex" movements, like lots of large coordinated movements. Needless to say, this just about put my, to this point amazingly willing wife, over the edge. After arriving home, I, in my infinite snake wisdom, stated that, "He's an oxygen breathing animal, therefore he will suffocate in the ziploc bag pretty quickly."
Or so I thought. After eating dinner and me heading back to the clinic for scalpels and gloves. I returned home to find this amazingly resilient beast slithering in the bag dragging its head around as if we had paralyzed it from the neck up. Finally, to finish him off and get this dissection thing on the road I decided to use the preverbial shovel decapitation. At last, dead.
Or so we thought. With head decidedly detached from the serpent, dissection began. However, during skinning the flacid snake would occasionally and coordinatedly move into a tight "S" shape. Creepy! Once the skin was off it was apparent that the heart continued to beat! We dissected this snake through just about every organ system, including the cardiorespiratory system with the heart in my hand and yet it STILL BEAT! Finally, Nathan received the go-ahead to "finish him off". With a single probe he pierced the heart of the snake and it stopped (not quite crushing the head of the snake as in Genesis, but close).
This time it worked. The dissection was amazing. We found its gallbladder, lung, heart, stomach, intestines, trachea, esophageous, venom glands/ducts, and have a beautiful rattlesnake skin we'll preserve. Fantastic opportunity for the kids to see creation at work.
If you'd asked me earlier in the day if I would kill a rattlesnake and dissect him without help, I would have told you no way, but what a blessing to have that opportunity. It may never come again. At least, hopefully, I see him sooner next time...
