A rancher in Texas encountered a rare surprise on his property.
Officials from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said an albino western rattlesnake was found in rural Texas hills.
The snake was found on a ranch west of Austin. Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Hill Country Wildlife estimate that the snake’s length is between 8 and 10 inches.
“This is something you don’t see every day,” Read Facebook posts, Which includes two photos of reptiles.
Megan Radek, Texas Parks and Wildlife News Officer, said that albinism in rattlesnakes is “very rare.”
“Biologists will encounter it from time to time, but it is very rare in rattlesnakes,” she told Weekly newspaper.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, Western Rattlesnake is the most common venomous snake in Texas. They are found in all parts of the state, except for the easternmost part of Texas. The average length of these snakes is 3 ½ to 4 ½ feet, and can even grow to 7 feet.
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Generally, Western rattlesnakes are brown, with diamond-shaped markings on the back, and black and white rings on the tail. Radek said that the color of the albino western rattlesnake makes it more vulnerable to attacks by potential predators because they cannot blend into the surrounding environment.
“Fortunately, true albinism rarely occurs in the wild,” commented the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “Some people say this happens only once per 100,000 people. Others claim it is even rarer-one in a million.”
Nathan Raines, a wildlife diversity biologist at the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, told Weekly newspaper Albinism makes it difficult for these snakes to reach adulthood.
The natural enemies of western rattlesnakes include eagles, wild boars, foxes, and other snakes, such as the indigo snake.
He said he receives one or two reports of such albino snakes every year.
Radek tells Weekly newspaper When the snake was discovered, the landowner called the biologist, but finally decided to put it back into the wild.
She said that since the ranch is located in a rural area, the landlord is likely to have encountered snakes before.
“Snakes are everywhere, it’s not uncommon,” Radek said.
She said that people are advised to keep lawns and fields trimmed and beautified. People should also make sure that their equipment is not lying around, because snakes may see it as a hiding place.
The rancher is not the only one who stumbled upon the poisonous snake this week.
on Wednesday, Weekly newspaper Report A “huge” venomous snake was found under the air-conditioning of a family in eastern Australia.
Stuart McKenzie of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 said he estimated the length of the snake to be about 5 feet.
Radek said that if someone encounters a snake that is a threat to snakes in a densely populated area, the individual may call an animal control center to remove the snake and relocate it. However, she said that the best way for most people is to leave the snake alone.
Rains said that as long as people are not irritated, rattlesnakes usually don’t bother them. Rattlesnake bites are rare, and the severity of the bite depends on a person’s reaction to it. After seeing a doctor, a person bitten by a rattlesnake usually recovers completely.
“They are part of the ecosystem like any other wild animal,” Radek said.
