Rare almost white wooden rattlesnake on display at Mississippi museum
JACKSON, ma’am. – Maybe one of the rarest rattlesnakes most people will ever see. With a genetic condition that gives the wood rattlesnake its creamy yellow appearance, it stands out in the wild and, statistically, shouldn’t be able to survive.
However, this one survived to adulthood and was captured and moved to Mississippi Museum of Natural Science where it is currently on display.
“There are people who come to see the snake specifically,” said Jamie Merrill, a biologist associated with the conservation with the museum. “It’s a beautiful snake. People think it’s beautiful.”
Merrill said the snake has a genetic condition known as T-positive, which makes its coloration quite different from that of a normal wood rattlesnake.
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A rare snake
“It’s hypopigmentation, not total pigment loss,” says Merrill. “He’s white with tanned chevrons.
“T negative will cause total loss of pigment. A positive T is a little rarer than a negative T.”
Terry’s weed researcher Terry Vandeventer also says it’s very rare; so rare that it cannot be calculated. In an interview shortly after the snake was captured in 2021, Vandeventer said one of thousands of wooden rattlesnakes was born with this condition.
So the odds at that point were one in a thousand, but they go down from there. Vandeventer said the odds of a normal baby snake living to adulthood in the wild are already low, but with a T-positive snake without a camouflage to protect it from predators, the survival rate is significantly lower. .
“In a normal litter, most are not successful,” says Vandeventer. “Most baby snakes don’t, but this one did. No one knows how rare it is.”
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The snake was discovered by Danielle Ladner in Yazoo County. She is collecting muskrat rats to make jelly. She was about to leave and stooped to pick up some of the muskrats she’d collected and realized the snake was 2 feet away from her face.
Fearing snakes, Ladner said she initially screamed and ran away, but the snake was unlike anything she had ever seen, so she turned around and took a picture of it. After sharing the photos with a livestock expert, she realized the snake was very unusual.
She became concerned about the snake’s safety and called the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Agency staff came to capture the snake and bring it to the museum. The snake goes into hibernation, a form of hibernation, for several months. After it started eating regularly, he was put on display.
Ladner said she went to the museum to see the snake.
“I took all the kids,” Ladner said. “We are very happy.
“I feel he has gained a bit of weight. He looks really good and healthy. I am not a snake person and have never been, but he is a special snake. I am happy for him. He’s safe and people can come see him.”
Follow Brian Broom on Twitter at @BrianBroom.