Rattlesnakes can't jump

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

TUCSON, AZ — It’s so easy to get ready for a day in Arizona in March; expect sun and warm temperatures! Never fails! Our destination was the Arizona Desert Museum, an outdoor facility, so on went the Tilley hats, sunscreen and shades, and bottles of water went into the backpack.

It took less than half an hour to reach the site, to the west of the city in rolling desert terrain. What struck us most en route was the appearance of hillsides covered with tall saguaro cacti. At first glance, it reminded me of a northern Ontario hillside that had been ravaged by a forest fire, leaving blackened sticks of tree trunks, only these sticks were green and prickly! It was quite a sight.

There were crowds of people lined up at the entrance to get in; we had forgotten that this is the week of March break, so lots of families with kiddies were there, but it didn’t take long to get to the front and buy our very reasonably priced tickets.

Two events we didn’t want to miss were the reptile demonstration and the Harris hawks, so after a bite of lunch we headed for the auditorium to learn about Gila monsters and rattlesnakes. Two staff members were on hand with live specimens, whose venomous accoutrements were still very much intact. They handled them with hooked metal sticks after removing them from locked boxes. Each presentation was very informative!

For example, we learned that Gila monsters can survive up to a year without eating, and that their tails are where they store reserves to help them do this. Their bite can be very painful but will not kill a human, and their forked tongues allow them to determine from which direction a particular scent is coming.

The rattlesnake’s tail was already rattling when the handler took him out of his box, but he settled down when placed on the table in front of us. We learned that there is a difference between venom and poison – the former has to be injected into the victim, and the latter is simply present in an animal. Rattlers are not poisonous, they’re venomous. But if you leave them alone and stay at least three feet away, they won’t strike. If they do strike, it can take up to 20 vials of anti-venom to make you well again, at a cost of $3,000 per vial! They can move in several different ways – serpentine, straight or in a crab-like fashion, but they can’t jump on you. Good to know!

We headed along the desert path toward the raptor demonstration next. The museum is beautifully laid out with landscaped areas highlighting bees, or hummingbirds, or cacti, or rock creatures, and the plants are all labeled. Along the paths are posts with questions on them, and the answers are available by lifting the flap. There are plenty of shaded spots with benches where you can step out of the sun, and even drinking fountains in several locations in case you forgot your water bottle. We drank and drank, and plain old water was so refreshing!

The Harris hawks appeared right on schedule, swooping above our heads and landing on the tops of the saguaro cacti, or on the gloved hands of the handlers. They had black and brown feathers on their backs and wings, and white tail feathers. We learned that they are the only raptors that work in groups, and that they delineate their territories by circling in the sky. Even though there were lots of people, everyone got a great view of them overhead and on the handlers’ gloves. It was fascinating to watch.

We continued our stroll through the desert path, catching glimpses of a coati and a pair of javelinas (distant relatives of pigs) resting in the shade. The pens are so natural, and the animals are separated from visitors by stainless steel netting that is hand-knotted by inmates of local prisons! It’s very effective and hardly noticeable.

We were really impressed by our visit today, and if we have time, we’ll probably go again, as we couldn’t cover everything in one day. When we got into the truck, the thermometer read 91 degrees, but the breeze and our frequent water stops made it quite bearable.