Friend of a friend catches big ole Diamondback rattle snake

Jean, notice the guy is holding the tongs forward towards the camera. That makes the snake look bigger. I will say, I believe that is a big old male at well over 4 foot. Maybe even 5, but not 10 like it seems in the image.

At least 15 years old, and held closer to the camera or not, still the biggest I have ever seen. Much darker pattern than I see in the desert. I would be inclined to clean the head to skeletal, and keep that.

Once when living at home, a black snake ran between my legs while I was picking up apples under the tree. I had on "brogan" boots, short and over weight at the time, I picked the boots up and put them down fast. Stomped two of my Dad's egg plants and knocked down some okra. If I saw something like that big snake, I would probably pass out !

That guy is friends with a couple that bought a dog from my wife so i have no details or conversation w/him. And the couple posted on Facebook and my wife recognized the dog owner.
Just looked like a big Diamondback on a shovel to me. The interesting point to me is that it is in the great sand forest where the gopher turtles dig some of the finest rattlesnake nests.
They are all over the 300,000 acre Ocala National (sand) Forest. There must be 1000 miles if trails in the forest( more than). My camp shares a property line w/it and i have old ATV's and trail bikes
to ride the trails. Lots of turtle hills and lots of rattlers. Spot a turtle hill and check it for snake tracks in the sugar sand. You can tell if it's a hoss or a two footer. Me, i stay away.

You might break the 100 yard dash if you saw that one Frankie. I almost stepped on a giant Moccasin once. It so scared me so bad.

that thing is badass. I dont know much about snakes but this one seems big size for rattler. Couldnt you find a zoo or somebody to buy that thing since its so big? Instead of killin it.

Its pattern looks like barbed wire

Looks like its been eating gophers.

We've seen a few rattlers in the brush, but nothing like that. Carol generally sends me out ahead of her if we are in a place where we have to walk single file, says "go ahead, snake bait". She just said she wouldn't send me out at all if there were rattlers that big around; comforting statement.

I personally would have gone to great risk to capture and relocate that snake. I am just a messenger. That snake may be alive for all i know.

However, if he was about to escape into a hole and all i could do is let him get away on my property or kill him, i would kill him. I will not share space
with that one. But it would upset me very much that i killed it.

From an article:

As many as 50% of bites by rattlesnakes are 'dry bites' where no venom is injected. Many folk remedies for snakebite came about because no venom was injected to begin with.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to pain, severe swelling, bruising, blistering, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, collapse or convulsions, Yellow vision; paraesthesia/numbness of digits, metallic taste in mouth, fasciculations, and/or death.

Snake Envenomations

1. I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice.
2. This is a constantly evolving article. Do not consider it as being complete or comprehensive.

If bitten by a venomous snake, seek immediate medical care from a qualified and licensed physician.

What happens to your body when a rattlesnake bites you?

Venom, a complex mixture of proteins and enzymes enters your body either subcutaneously or intramuscularly.

Depending on species, any of the following may occur:

Neurotoxins may travel through the lymphatic system and begin to work on your nervous system, causing muscle paralysis.

Hemotoxins begin to break down your blood and tissue.

Nephrotoxins may travel to your kidneys and cause acute tubular necrosis, breaking down the tubes that carry waste from your blood to your bladder.

Cardiotoxins may affect your heart muscles.

Muscle fibers from necrosing flesh may enter your bloodstream and affect your kidneys in a condition called Rhabdomyolysis.

CK (Creatine Kinase) levels in the bloodstream rise because of muscle damage. This is the same thing that happens when one has a heart attack.

The area around the bite fills with excess fluid in a condition called edema. A bruising or discoloration from damaged capillaries occurs called Ecchymoses.

Large blood blisters called hemorraghic blebs, from bleeding under the skin, may form around the bite site.

As your blood cells are destroyed, a condition called thrombocytopenia, the ability of the body to transfer oxygen to the kidneys is reduced, also causing acute tubular necrosis in the kidneys. Blood pressure drops to dangerous levels.

The venom causes fibrinogen in the blood stream to form clots, depleting the blood's supply of fibrinogen. Once these initial clots form, the rest of the blood is without clotting ability and the danger of free-bleeding increases. This is called Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, or DIC.

"Third Spacing" may occur. This is when intercellular fluids are used by the body to replace water lost through vomiting and diarrhea. The body is essentially re-hydrating itself by using water from inside cells.

In VERY FEW bites, compartmental pressures rise in the affected area causing "compartment syndrome" In these rare cases surgical cuts may be necessary to releive compartmental pressure and allow blood flow through the affected limb, and to decrease the chance of random tearing of tissue. This is EXTREMELY rare, and compartment syndrome is very difficult to distinguish from the normal symptoms of snakebite. Again, this is NOT medical advice, but I can say that IF I were bitten by a rattlesnake and my physician were considering a fasciotomy, I would ask my doctor to measure the compartmental pressures with a tonometer (this is very painful, by the way) and I would only consider giving my permission for a fasciotomy if MY compartmental pressures were greater than 30 mm/hg for two or more hours.

In some cases a severe allergic reaction may occur. Anaphylaxis occurs when the body's immune system begins to over-compensate the production of antibodies in reaction to the presence of a foreign protein. In cases of anaphylactic reactions the person may exhibit hives, cyanosis (a bluish discoloration to the face) swelling of the throat causing an inability to breath, and the possibility of death within minutes.

Involuntary muscle twitching, known as fasciculations may occur.

Laughing- a forum about snake venom-Envenomation.com. Go figure. This is where the above article came from. You guys watch for snakes-please.

www.envenomated.com/articles.php?article_id=5