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While preparing his ocean kayak for spring fishing season, a man in San Diego, California, found a three-foot-long rattlesnake curled up in his boat.
Snake catcher Bruce Ireland, of RBI Snake Wranglers, said that the man started to remove the boat's cover when he heard what sounded like a rattle. The man called in Ireland, who pulled back the rest of the cover to reveal the rattling reptile.
"[The snake] was relatively calm but likely surprised to see me," Ireland told Newsweek.
In footage of the incident, which Ireland posted to his TikTok page @sdsnakeadventures2, the snake can be seen writhing in the middle section of the boat, rattling loudly. After pulling back the cover, Ireland picks up the snake with his snake hook and plops it in his bucket.
"This is called a red diamond rattlesnake," Ireland said. "[They are] only found in Southern California and northern Baja. Beautiful snakes."
Red diamond rattlesnakes are a large, venomous species of pit viper that can be distinguished by their brick red coloration and diamond-patterned scales. "This one was around 3 plus feet," Ireland said. "They get to about 5 feet and, rarely, bigger."
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the snake has a calm temperament and is very reluctant to strike. Its venom is also unusually mild for a rattlesnake. However, because it is so big, its bite can still be dangerous and should be treated immediately.
"Most bites occur when humans mess with them," Ireland said. "In fact, most bites occur when two chemicals are combined: alcohol and testosterone!"
Ireland said that he removes somewhere between 300 and 400 snakes every snake season in the San Diego area as part of a free community service. Most of these are rattlesnakes. "We hike all snakes back into nearby nature preserves and canyons," he said.
The video of the kayak snake has received over 800,000 views on TikTok, and hundreds of comments from concerned viewers.
"That sound omg just makes you wanna scream thru my phone," commented one user.
"Oh hell no," said another.
Ireland said that if you ever see a rattlesnake on your property, you should always call in an expert to remove it. If you see one in the wild, do your best to avoid it and always keep your wits about you.
"Be alert and aware in snake country," he said. "Alertness buys you time. Time buys you options."
About the writer
Pandora Dewan is a Senior Science Reporter at Newsweek based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on science, health ... Read more