Wednesday, May 18, 2011

RATTLESNAKES DO NOT LAY EGGS

The now retired Chief Deputy of the Riverside Sheriff’s Department sent me a picture from the Texas Power & Light Company showing a culvert with a pack of rattlesnakes. After forwarding the picture to some friends, Glenda Stroud, by herself a repository of all things Texan, responded with the following information:

A lot of people don't know that rattlesnakes do not lay eggs: they deliver a live little coiled baby in a sac filled with amniotic fluid. A pregnant six or seven footer will deposit one sac here, one sac there, covering perhaps a mile or more in area: a big mama has lots of sacs. When the time is right, the baby rattler "strikes", breaking the sac, and slithers on its way. Should you ever come upon one of these rattler sacs, open your pocket knife, break the sac, and see what happens--just don't jump with a bad knee as you might get bitten when you take the fall.

I grew up with these diamondback bastards and the only good one is a dead one. Creamed Rattlesnake is pretty good eating. Moist white meat--tastes like chicken. If it is fried, it tastes like fried chicken...seasoned right, "southern" fried chicken!

And Greg Countie adds: They make pretty nice boots too.

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