Ran into some visitors at the mine this weekend (PICS)
 

We went out to the mine this weekend and ended up running into some friendly and not so friendly visitors. I think I spent more time chasing down wildlife than I did surveying.
Here are some pics of our new founded friends :)


Desert Tortoise

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Desert Gila Monster

http:///laughingloonproductions.com/pic/21a.jpg

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BlackTail Diamond Back Rattler

http:///laughingloonproductions.com/pic/1a.jpg

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Tiger Rattle Snake

http:///laughingloonproductions.com/pic/25a.jpg

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damn...fucked this up, let me try again

Awesome shots but I'm not sure I'd be anywhere close to those damn snakes!

I'm not big on snakes myself, but it is a great sequence of shots

great pics :thumbsup

Red X's all the way down. What pics are you all seeing?

I mean, I could see the pics too if I fixed the URL's but as is.....WTF?

Great shots for sure. I love Rattle Snakes.

I corrected the url as I had one too many forward slashes in the url and after correcting it I still don't see any images when previewing the post...this is frustrating and so basic...LOL

You're brave with the snakes, I would have been running in the opposite direction of that one!

Nice pics man!

Nice pics

Thanks everyone, I still can't see the images, but I am glad some of you are able to see these...it was a fun weekend!

nice rattler

stupid turtles, i want them for food

Nice :thumbsup

Good thing that rattler was a tiny one :pimp

Thats an Angry looking Mother F!!!!!

http://laughingloonproductions.com/pic/2a.jpg

2 rattle snakes in one day... that place must be filled with them since rattle snakes usually try to avoid people...

great photos! :thumbsup

Actually, there were three different rattlers. The Gila monster is very rare to see and I shot allot of images of him. he is protected and you don't want to mess with him. Even if he wasn't protected, you still want to stay clear and not be bitten, because they have allot of bacteria which sometimes causes death when bitten by them.

Actually, the tiny or young rattlers are the most dangerous ones as they have not yet learned how much venom to inject you with, so when you get bit, you usually get a full dose as compared to a full mature snake that knows how much venom to inject to kill it's prey.

Yea, they tend to get a bit pissed or irritated if you mess with them too much ;)

great looking pictures

Don't get bitten.

Nice pics:)

They would make some nice boots

Right, Ive heard that. I was referring to the strike distance they have. Since its small you can get a little closer since then can only strike half of their length...

Ahh, OK. You are right. I always keep my distance from these guys. It even gets a bit more spooky when walking in the mine as things are darker and these guys hide very well.

On another note, it's been said to listen for the rattle, but in some cases rattlers get stepped on by livestock and they no longer have the rattles to warn you of their presence....always wise to keep an eye out when walking around in the desert ;)

or belts, hatbands and stuff like that. They do make for some good eating though :thumbsup

Man that gila is awesome! I agree with some of the others, I would be running in the opposite direction VERY fast from those snakes, bastards scare the hell out of me.

no way would you catch me that close to a rattle snake

congrats on those shots. I wouldn't have the guts to go up that close to a rattle snake

are you a reptile fan?

I have to agree, they scare me too, but I keep my distance and that goes with any snake ;)



I am not really a reptile fan but it was a nice warm day for them to be out and I was lucky enough to stumble across a few of them....especially the gila monster and the tortoise. I have not seen any one of those guys for years.....very rare.

Nice pics, love those desert gopher tortoises.