Some of the Good Guys

(This was passed on to me after seeing my gopher snake commentary)

I always heard my Dad talk about the Blue Indigo Snakes he use to see while
ranching in the Brackettville/Spofford area before moving to the present ranch around 1932.

He always said no one bothered them  because they killed and ate rattlesnakes. Of course I thought it was a tall
tale. I never saw one on the present ranch although while working for the King Ranch down in deep South Texas, I
saw several of these snakes.

They were big, long and the color of Indigo or Bluing they use to use in dying clothes.

Never saw one eat a rattler but I guess the truth does come out now and then.

Enjoy the attached photos. Send to all your friends in South Texas and those who hunt down that way to let them
know there are good snakes out there.

Bubba



I have a soft spot for reptiles.  I worked for a venomologist in the summer months in high school, caring for
some of the most venomous reptiles in the world.



Quite an interest was evolving around snake venoms,  their hemotoxic properties in particular and their
uses in the treatment of blood disorders.  

By the way, snakes are not poisonous....they are venomous.



Rattlesnakes  and other venomous snakes don't bother me at all and they usually don't bother anyone else
either.  If you encounter one in the wild, stand still if close and give the snake an opportunity to leave.
Otherwise slowly back up and the snake will generally lose its defensive posture and head in the
opposite direction.



Indigo snakes, Gopher Snakes, Bull Snakes and Cobras  all have been known to eat other snakes.
Gopher and Bull Snakes are constrictors.  Indigos grab and thrash.  Cobras use venom.



It's been a while but I think the rattlesnake pictured here (or what's left of it) is C. Atrox, one of the
nastier customers down south.



The world can do with a few less of these, especially around pressure tanks.



Heads and Tails



I would imagine this meal took around half an hour to get down the pipe.



The Indigo snake is a very large snake and the color shown here really doesn't do it justice.
They are in my opinion one of the most attractive snakes in the US and on a bright sunny day
they literally glisten in indigo.