Try Not to Flinch While Watching Rattlesnakes Strike at This GoPro Invading Their Den

YouTuber Michael Delaney found a pit full of rattlesnakes and, despite anyone's best suggestions, didn't turn back. Instead, armed with a GoPro on the end of a stick, Delaney recorded the scene, most of during which the only audible audio was the collective rattling of the bunch. Eventually, repeated strikes from multiple snakes knock the GoPro off of its mount and into the middle of the pit (good luck getting that one back). Put it some headphones, put the video on full screen... I dare you not to flinch at the first good strike...

They seriously come at the camera from all angles... While not necessarily deadly, rattlesnakes are still venomous (and I'm not sure the sound of getting bitten by any snake, poisonous or not, is all that great). The end of the video (SPOILER ALERT...but not all that much of a spoiler) shows the GoPro being fished out with what looks like a hockey stick. I don't know about you, but that's still a little too close for my comfort. Not only are there about two dozen snakes in the same pit, but there also seem to be multiple groupings of the snakes surrounding the area that is also marked by multiple snake skins that have been shed. Needless to say, this is not something you want to try at home.

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Adam works mostly across California on all things photography and art. He can be found at the best local coffee shops, at home scanning film in for hours, or out and about shooting his next assignment. Want to talk about gear? Want to work on a project together? Have an idea for Fstoppers? Get in touch! And, check out FilmObjektiv.org film rentals!

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14 Comments

What is horrifying to me about this video, is now I know forever that you can just accidentally wonder up to something like this while hiking. Look at all the lone snakes 10' away from the den!!! Thanks for the nightmares Adam!

To make it even worse, here's the slow motion version. https://youtu.be/oBgvR2QnkQA

nope nope nope!!

I wonder if your moon boots would save you Patrick.

They would have no doubt, but from what I can tell, these snakes can strike higher than the edge of my boots :/

My ophidiophobia makes me too scared to click play on that video!!

plot twist, they are actually fake rubber snakes

I would hate to stumble into a den like that. A bite from one snake wouldn't be so bad, but imagine being bit by ten...

It might not be bad at first, but those appear to be Diamondbacks. If you don't get to a hospital or clinic quickly after being bitten even by one, the venom can begin to necrotize your tissue, damage your organs, and clot your blood. It's potentially fatal depending on how much venom is released and if you get the anti-venom, but even if you don't die, it can make life much harder for you. Rattlesnakes are some of the most deadly venomous snakes in the U.S. (along with the Coral, Cottonmouth, and Copperhead snakes).

If you got bit by ten I imagine you would either be dead or severely impaired before you could even make it to a hospital, unless you were right next door to one.

A few people back home would refer to them as the Devil's children lol. Thankfully they have their little alarm so you can at least try to avoid them. They're not especially aggressive unless you really get into their space, like in the video.

Ack, that just sounds awful!

It sounds a bit nit picky I know but Rattlers are venomous, not poisonous; the former needs to be injected to cause harm.

I love reptiles, including snakes but would not do anything like this without proper gear. I view that as irresponsible but I have to give credit to him for not harming these animals that were doing nothing more than minding their own business.

You're totally right. I think I was just talking to someone about the video, and they used "poisonous," and it somehow stuck in my head. Oops. Thanks for the correction! Fixed now :-)

Well, i think it was quite obvious the snakes were rattled (pun intended) with his presence and he was trying to get them to strike the camera for the sake of footage. a real dick move in my opinion. Why not just let them be and document it without being this intrusive again and again. His first try to get in close was ok, but when he kept on repeating, he was just distressing the snakes.

Jeeeezzz....i hate snakes!! Hahahaha