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This is a multipart message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C7C58C.C7A26330 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I had an unusual (for me, anyway) experience with a snake this morning and wonder if anyone can shed some light on it. I was taking the dog for her usual morning walk, passing as always over a bridge that crosses a small brook. On one side of the bridge the road crews have installed a safety barrier, and there is a lot of rock there-great snake habitat. As we were passing the end of the safety barrier, I noticed an abrupt movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see that a moderately large snake (I'm pretty sure it was a common garter snake, and it was probably about the size of my thumb at its widest point) that was coiled up in front of what might have been a burrow. The odd part was that the snake had its mouth open and kept striking in my direction. It didn't come anywhere near reaching me - I was at least a foot too far away - but it kept striking anyway. Mind you, neither the dog nor I had done anything to disturb the snake other than walk past it. I found this very odd because, despite having grown up in Texas, home of the diamondback rattler, I've never seen a snake be aggressive in this fashion. So I was wondering if anyone else has seen this and what would explain it. Have I suddenly begun to resemble a very large mouse? Flora ------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C7C58C.C7A26330 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; = charset=3Dus-ascii"> <META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version = 08.00.0681.000"> <TITLE>Snake question</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <!-- Converted from text/rtf format --> <P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT = FACE=3D"Arial">I had an un</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">usual = (for me, anyway) experience with a snake this morning and wonder if = anyone can shed some light on it. I was taking the dog for her usual = morning</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial"> walk, passing as always over a = bridge that crosses a small brook. On one side of the bridge the road = crews have installed a safety barrier, and there is a lot of rock = there</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">—</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">great = snake habitat.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial"> As we were = passing</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial"> the end of the safety barrier, I = noticed an abrupt movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see = that a moderately large snake (</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT = FACE=3D"Arial">I</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">’</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">m pretty = sure it was a</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">common</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">garter = snake,</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial"> and</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial"> it = was</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT = FACE=3D"Arial">probably about the size of my thumb at its widest = point)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> = <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">that</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">was coiled up in front of = what</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> = <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">might have been a</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial"> = burrow.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> = <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">The odd part was that the snake had its mouth open = and kept striking in my direction. It didn</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT = FACE=3D"Arial">’</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">t come anywhere near reaching = me</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT = FACE=3D"Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT FACE=3D"Arial">–</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial"> I was = at least a foot too far away</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> <FONT = FACE=3D"Arial">–</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial"> but it kept striking anyway. Mind = you, neither the dog nor I had done anything to disturb the snake other = than walk past it. I found this very odd because, despite having grown = up in Texas, home of the diamondback rattler, I</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT = FACE=3D"Arial">’</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">ve never seen a snake be aggressive = in this fas</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT FACE=3D"Arial">hion.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN = LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"> <FO