While hiking in Bulow Creek State Park I saw my first Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius). Hewy, Darwin, and I were hiking down a trail that was a sandy road. She was in one tire rut with Darwin and I was in the other. Darwin (her dog) was out in front on a leash. He walked right over the snake before she noticed it. We threw a quarter down beside it to provide some scale. Pygmy Rattlesnakes are very small and rarely are over 18 inches.
You may notice that this Pygmy lacks a rattle and instead sports a yellow tail. Pygmy Rattlesnakes are born via life birth in the late summer or fall. Their yellow tail is used for caudal luring. As they get older they will acquire rattles. Due to their small size their rattles are only heard if you're a few feet away. If you're biten by a Pygmy the area will swell and be painful but should subside in a few days. Under certain circumstances the bite could be worse but currently no deaths have been recorded for this species.
Usually aggressive our Pygmy didn't even budge or strike. Even when we took a stick and retrieved the quarter back it didn't seem to notice us. I was so tempted to pick it up due to its docile nature but common sense prevailed. Their bite may not be fatal but being biten by a venomous snake 4 miles down a trail isn't my idea of a fun weekend. We left our friend just as we found it in the leaf litter of the sandy road.
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