Reptile & Amphibian Forums

According to Klauber, the record number of rattles the he observed was 19 on an atrox. I have a picture of my helleri with 14. Just curious as to how many of you may have more than this out there?

I had a captive born EDB (Dennis the Mennis) that had 32 at nine years old when they broke off at the button.They were super-glued back on.We never power fed anything back then.Acording to the Florida State head Herpetologist at the time told me they averaged 3-4 per year in the wild.I never found a wild adult with more than ten.Most all had broken off less than that on very old ones and a lot of the time had none.Around 30 yrs back so no pic on disk.Arther Jones was trying to prove that WDB could get bigger than easterns around that time and had some HUGE cartoon looking westerns he power feed to try and "change the record books"There might be some pictures of his rattlesnakes with extra long rattles.Some others from "back in the day" might know the record.Vic

Hi Vic, A. Jones also had some monstrous C. basiliscus that were well over 6' long, in fact pushing 7'. But over time ALL his POWERFED Crotalus died very young usually about the 5th or 6th year. Indeed he had a LOT of massive Crotalids....
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

Yep,We kind of all new that would happen.It was a strange project and he spaired no expence.I saw my first 7'EDB there.I hope someone writes a book on his life,I think the new generation of herpers would find him very interesting.His better work was of cource Crocks,but you dont here much about him. You must have known him well being a HUGE Crock fan,but thats for another forum.Later Vic

32 could it rattle ? The wild ones always bust their tails . I cought a timber once that I thought had twenty but apon further review it was 12.

Arthur Jones that guy was a trip. Eight or nine yrs ago I put up a photo of a western he said was the largest rattlesnake ever collected . Still short of the mythical 8 footer he always wanted. He should have found thousands that size. I met many guys who have seen them stretching from one side of the road to the other. I think they slide away to where the twenty five foot anacondas live. Nautilus , faster planes, bigger alligators and younger women.

Ernie Eison
WESTRWOOD ACRES REPTILE FARM INC.

It was so mellow for a EDB it hardly ever rattled and it was nothing like the "hair on the back of your neck standing up" feel of a wild one. His WDB looked weird with the little head and blooned body.Did you ever see his young wife!.
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I have a GA cainbreak with 23.

Here is the canebrake that atra mentioned. I took this photograph today. Not quite 23 rattles... yet...
I couldn't figure out how to post two pictures at once, so here is a link to a picture of the whole snake. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/mm211/ExistentialCrack/Serpents/cane.jpg?t=1239318125