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| Found
dead along a backroad in Santa Barbara County. |
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| No
obvious signs of injury; perhaps it struck at a passing car. |
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| As
fascinating and terrifying in death as it was in life. |
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| Gradual
changes in scale pattern from head to tail. |
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| Brown
diamond pattern fading into gray "spectacle" stripes. |
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| Lifeless,
yet the sound of this rattle struck fear in me. |
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| Sad
record of a Western Rattlesnake's scale pattern and color. |
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| I
would rather have found this snake alive; admired it from a safe distance. |
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| Click
here for images of live Western Rattlesnakes. |