Venomous rattle snakes are known to unexpectantly slither out from holes, but what may come to a surprise is that these reptiles also climb trees.
The daring feat has been captured by a number of people this summer, who have shared the astounding photos and videos online.
A diamondback was seen ‘soaking up the early morning sun’ in a tree at a wildlife park in New Mexico just last month and few weeks later a similar photo surfaced of a snake coiled up in branches in Arizona.
Experts say snakes only brave such heights when hunting, fleeing a predator or as a way to escape extreme heat.
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A diamondback was seen ‘soaking up the early morning sun’ in a tree at a wildlife park in New Mexico (pictured) just last month and few weeks later a similar photo surfaced of a snake coiled up in branches in Arizona
The earliest evidence this year of tree climbing snakes surfaced on Facebook July 4, when Jerome Pereze, a resident of New Mexico, uploaded a video of a six-foot rattle snake resting in a mesquite tree, Miami Herald reported.
‘First time I seen a rattler 7 feet off the ground,’ reads the post with the video that has been shared over 4,000 times.
Perez told McClatchy News: ‘I was amazed we were seeing such an unheard of occurrence.
‘The snake was up high, soaking up the early morning sun, but his rattler was going at high speed.
‘First time I seen a rattler 7 feet off the ground,’ reads the post with the video that has been shared over 4,000 times.
‘A small sparrow was flapping frantically in front of the snake, trying to keep it from a nest likely hidden in the tree.’
The snake can be seen coiled at the top of a tree and rattling its tail – which can also be heard in the video.
Another diamondback was spotted hanging out in a tree by the Bureau of Land Management Arizona on August 12, which shared a close up image of the relaxed reptile.
‘Rattlesnakes are rarely observed in trees, except when basking, hunting prey such as birds and rodents, or to escape from extreme heat or a high water level,’ reads the post.
Another diamondback was spotted hanging out in a tree by the Bureau of Land Management Arizona on August 12, which shared a close up image of the relaxed reptile
Tom Sykes, who is credited for taking the photo, was met with criticism by Facebook users, who said the images were photoshopped – however Syskes quickly responded to the claims. ‘The snake was clearly resting, probably waiting for the sun to warm it,’ he wrote
‘This diamondback was spotted basking in a tree in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.’
The photo was shared in a Facebook group called ‘Friends of the San Pedro River,’ which is an environmental conservation group in Arizona.
‘Clearly this ‘flying snake’ was a rarity,’ the group wrote. ‘Watch where you are going: look down, right, left, ahead…. and up!’
Tom Sykes, who is credited for taking the photo, was met with criticism by Facebook users, who said the images were photoshopped – however Syskes quickly responded to the claims.
‘The snake was clearly resting, probably waiting for the sun to warm it,’ he wrote. ‘Several people we’ve spoken to don’t normally see this species — western diamondback — in a tree. … We would not have seen the snake were it not for a Botteri’s Sparrow singing at the top of the same tree.’
Although snakes have been climbing trees for centuries, the pictures and videos have sparked worry among the public.
Pictured is a snake spotted in Baton Rouge in 2014. Wildlife experts said it is a Texas rat snake
This black rat snake was spotted in Michigan back in 2017 and are deemed a concerned species
Susan Cramer Stein, a Facebook users, commented on Sykes’s content: ‘Ok Tom, 2020 can’t get worse. I visit your neck of the woods. I respect nature, even the critters I don’t like.’
‘I wear snake gaiters. I wear hiking boots, long pants and long sleeves. I’m wearing a mask for Covid. Good grief, now I need a helmet too? And possibly a face shield? ‘
These snakes were spotted sunbathing at the top of trees, but another reptile in a tree was not spending its time leisurely.
In January, a Mississippi hunter was walking through the woods when he felt a severe pain on his head – a copperhead snake in a tree bit him.
Tyler Hardy told Clarion Ledger: ‘I thought somebody had shot me or hit me with an axe.’
‘It knocked the fire out of me. I just could not believe the force the snake had when it hit me.
Hardy was left with a massive mark where the snake had sunk its teeth into the left side of his head, which he said was burning and swelling shortly after the incident.
Scientists have long been fascinated by snakes slithering up trees and have investigated how the reptiles make the climb.
Because they do not have limbs, the creatures use muscular force to wrap themselves around the trunk, allowing them to make their way up to branches.
In January, a Mississippi hunter was walking through the woods when he felt a severe pain on his head – a copperhead snake in a tree bit him. Hardy was left with a massive mark where the snake had sunk its teeth into the left side of his head, which he said was burning and swelling shortly after the incident
This ratsnake was photographed at Lincoln State Park in 2017. This snake dines on birds, eggs and mice
Greg Byrnes, a herpetologist at Siena College in New York, told National Geographic that snakes create incredible forces with their bodies in order to wrap around a tree and decreases their change of falling.
However, Brynes also said: ‘A ten-meter fall is unlikely to really hurt a snake, but being back on the ground could expose them to predators. Then the snake will have to climb the tree again, and it might be more energy efficient to be more careful the first time.’
Smaller snakes use both their body and scales to push against the bike on the tree to inch upward to the top.
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