Prairie rattlesnake in Drumheller

[shawnfraser]

On Wednesday, August 15, 2007 some visitors to Reptile World reported seeing a dead rattlesnake on the road just outside of Drumheller. It was my day off so my coworker Cindy called me at home to tell me. My roommate and I drove out on Highway 10 just outside of the town limits and indeed found a DOR Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis viridis) approximately 1 metre long. Prairie rattlesnakes are not normally found in Drumheller - until now there have been only 2 confirmed cases in the last 50 years, one in 1957 and one in the early 1990's. I have contacted Alberta Fish and Wildlife and they are adding the information to their database. Now the question is, was this a natural occurence or was the snake transplanted accidentally in a hay bale, load of pipe, etc?
In the 10 years I have lived here I have never found a rattlesnake in Drumheller. Every summer we get a report or two of a "rattlesnake" in someone's yard but it invariably turns out to be a bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi).
I just wish we would have found it before it was run over!
Shawn

[joeysgreen]

Thanks for sharing Shawn, that is wicked news. Is the nearest den not just 50k's or so south along the river? Perhaps it's a stray from there?

Can you also let Kris Kendell from the Alberta Amphibian Monitoring Program know as well. I"m not sure how well they communicate with the AFW. [e-mail]

Have you had a good summer so far in the field? Travel any? Maybe I'll bump into you at the Reddeer show this weekend if you're going

Ian

[shawnfraser]

Hey Ian,
I sent the info to Kris Kendell. It looks like Dr. Anthony Russell at the U of C is going to take the specimen.
Too bad I missed you at the show, I went on Sunday. I picked up a pair of Great Basin gophersnakes (Pituophis catenifer deserticola) and was very tempted to buy one of Rob McRobbie's emerald tree boas.
Any plans to come out to Drumheller again? If you are ever heading out this way let me know ahead of time so we can make plans to go herping or something.
Shawn

[joeysgreen]

Yes, for sure. My wife and kid are in the states for 2 months and I've been begging for something to do. I lost my camera, and I think that was my luck charm. I've been looking for t.radix which would be my last of the three Albertan garters, but no cigar. A shed and a corpse, so I know I"m in the right area though

How's the weather looking in the next little bit? Email me [e-mail] and we'll hook up/ any day of the week works for me. If you have any time off I'd really love to hit some rattlesnake country as well, (or I guess that could be the drum to now eh), I stumped out this year and it's been waay to long.

Ian