Desert Messenger

December 16, 2015 www.DesertMessenger.com 37 Food Handler Classes Food Handler cards are required for every person who handles or pre- pares food, and/or handles the eating utensils and food preparation equipment, including dishwashing. The cost is $15.00 per year and the card must be posted inside the food unit. Cards must be obtained prior to opening. Quartzsite, AZ: The Food Handler class and test will be given at: Quartzsite Senior Center, 40 Moon Mountain Road, on the following January classes: WEDNESDAYS: Jan. 6th,13th and 20th 9am and 1030am Note: If you need a Spanish video and test, please contact the Health Department at 928-669-1100. Spanish classes are available in Parker at the Health Department, 1112 Joshua Ave., #206, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00 am - 4:00 pm. By Jim Walkington Like the Pete Seger song, Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything there's a Season) there is a sea- sonal timeline that desert animals follow. Desert reptiles, especially rattlesnakes, are no exception to this cyclic ebb and fl ow. For example, in the Sonoran desert around Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, or Quartzsite, rattlesnakes do not hibernate in the true sense of the word. They don't disap- pear underground for fi ve or six months not to be seen again until spring. In Arizona, in the winter months, when the weather turns cold or rainy, they will seek a sheltered area and wait for bet- ter times. Some researchers have described Arizona rattlesnake dens that contain dozens of rattlesnakes and claim that these snakes return year after year to the same spot. However, when the weather turns warmer—one or two winter days in or near the 80s—the hungry snakes can be out hunting for food. Even in the winter, a daytime temperature of high 70s to 80s will almost guarantee that snakes are ac- tive and may be encountered by humans or dogs. Veterinarians in the Arizona towns of New River, Anthem, Cave Creek, and Carefree have treated rattlesnake bites in dogs in December and January. Most Arizona rattle- snakes mate in the early spring—March or April. Then, approxi- mately fi ve-and-a-half months later, the baby snakes are born. Depending on when mating takes place, baby rattlesnakes can arrive anytime from late August to October. The female rattlesnake retains the eggs inside her body and the baby snakes are born live. Each baby rattlesnake is born coiled within its own glistening membrane sac. In the wild, the youngsters have to wiggle out of the sac and immediately begin hunting for their fi rst meal, usually a small lizard. Baby rattlesnakes enter the world equipped with fangs and venom—everything they need to subdue prey and feed themselves. Each baby, approximately 10-11 inches long and darker in color than the mother, is usually on their own at birth. Recently, rattlesnake research- ers discovered that in two Arizona species of rattlesnakes, the rock rattlesnake, and the black tailed rattlesnake, the mother snakes stays with the neonates and active- ly protects them until the babies shed their skin for the fi rst time, usually ten days to two weeks. The number of babies in a rattle- snake litter ranges from fi ve to over twenty, depending on the age and size of the mother. Baby rattlesnakes do not have rattles. They have a nub on their tail called a pre-button. The baby must shed their skin several times before they have enough rattle segments to make noise. Baby rattlesnakes have venom that is more neuro toxic (affects breathing) than that of the adults. This makes sense when one con- siders that the favorite prey of the There's a season baby snakes is lizards and they need a venom that affects breath- ing and quickly subdues a strug- gling lizard. The good news is that a baby rat- tlesnake has a very small amount of venom compared to an adult. The rule of thumb is: the larger the snake the more venom they are capable of injecting. According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizo- na has thirteen different species of rattlesnakes, more than anywhere in the world. Rattlesnakes are found in every US state except Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii. Their range extends from below sea level—Death Val- ley to above 10,000 feet. One rattlesnake, the Mexican Dusky Rattlesnake was reported collected on Mt Orizaba at an elevation of 14,500 feet. The preferred temperature range for rattlesnakes is between 80-90° F. Experiments done on rattle- snakes in the early 1960s and 70s proved that rattlesnakes have a higher survival rate when exposed to extreme cold than when they are subjected to extreme heat. Researchers placed several spe- cies of rattlesnakes, including desert sidewinders, in sun exposed enclosures and waited to see what would happen. When the snakes couldn't get out of the direct sun and the temperature was above 100° F. the snakes were dead in 20 minutes. When the tempera- ture was above 110° F. they suc- cumbed in 10 minutes or less. But, when rattlesnakes were placed in a chilled environment and almost frozen, most of these snakes recov- ered with no apparent ill effects when allowed to defrost gradually. One way to put the above infor- mation to practical use is to apply it to your animals—especially your dogs. Many people who live in the desert areas of Arizona don't think of having their dogs protected against rattlesnake bites until they see the fi rst snake in the spring or until after the dog is bitten. Dogs can be trained to stay away from rattlesnakes. The training process goes by various titles: snake proofi ng, snake training, snake breaking, or snake aversion training. For more information on rattlesnake avoidance training, or to fi nd a trainer, use the following internet search terms: dogs, rattle- snakes, Arizona. Most Arizona rattle- snakes mate in the early spring—March or April. Then, approxi- mately fi ve-and-a-half months later, the baby snakes are born. Depending on when mating takes place, baby rattlesnakes can arrive anytime from late August to October. The female rattlesnake retains the eggs inside Read Desert MESSENGER E-edition online @ www.MyQuartzsite.com

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