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Snake skin


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Tell 'em it's there eating rats. Or squirrels, or mice. That's quite possible.

That's a skin that has been shed. The donor snake is long gone. Keep in mind that the snake that came from is not that large; the skins stretch when they are shed. I'd note it, but in a humorous way so as no to freak anyone out. Are there even any poisonous snakes in your area?

It's funny. I always seem to find people scared of snakes in the crawl space. I have found far more evidence of snakes in attics than in crawlspaces. In fact, I remember finding one in our attic as a teenager. At the time, I thought it was an anomaly. Home inspections have proven otherwise.

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Just yesterday morning, I was checking out a small office building that a current tenant is buying. He pulled me aside at one point and said, "By the way, we've found a couple of snakes in the building this summer. Any idea how they're getting inside?"

I said, "I know exactly how they're getting in," and showed him this photo on my camera's LCD.

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Some years back, I went into an attic full of snake skins. And fresh snake poop. I told the buyers: "There are shed snake skins and fresh snake poop all over the attic. If that bothers you, you're going to have to call a critter gitter. Or Larry, Daryll and Daryll..."

Around here, they call those corn snakes or rat snakes. Harmless, unless you're small prey.

WJ

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  • 6 months later...

Snake-scent application is one of a remarkable package of defenses that squirrels use against rattlesnakes, Owings said. In earlier work, Owings' lab has found that squirrels can: heat up their tails to send a warning signal to rattlesnakes, which can "see" in the infrared; assess how dangerous a particular snake is, based on the sound of its rattle; and display assertive behavior against snakes to deter attacks. In addition, work by Owings' colleague, psychology professor Richard Coss, has demonstrated that these squirrels have evolved resistance to snake venom.

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Snake-scent application is one of a remarkable package of defenses that squirrels use against rattlesnakes, Owings said. In earlier work, Owings' lab has found that squirrels can: heat up their tails to send a warning signal to rattlesnakes, which can "see" in the infrared; assess how dangerous a particular snake is, based on the sound of its rattle; and display assertive behavior against snakes to deter attacks. In addition, work by Owings' colleague, psychology professor Richard Coss, has demonstrated that these squirrels have evolved resistance to snake venom.

These guys coulda used a better line of cat defense. There were at least 25 tails down there.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I was taking the metal ridge cap of a small barn that I was taking down. The first piece I took off was 8 or 10 feet long and of course I could not see under it until I removed it. Once I had it off and holding it in my hands, I noticed sitting right in front of me a medium to large size black snake. I have never come off a roof so fast in my life. I don't think my brain registered the type of snake until I hit the ground. I can pick snakes up and handle them, but it's the suprise that can make you hurt yourself.

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