Two Massachusetts hikers caught an unbelievable video showing two intertwined rattlesnakes engaged in a brutal fight. Elementary school teacher Erin Noonan and her colleague, fellow Parker Elementary teacher Susan Maloney, recorded the wild footage during their weekly nature walk. “We have a little hiking club,” Noonan explained to CBS outlet WBZ News. “We’re chit-chatting and we’re walking, and there were two [male hikers] trailing behind a little bit and they stopped and they were yelling to us.”
The group was astonished to see two rattlesnakes in the middle of their path, intertwined and engaging in what appeared to be a dance. According to Mass Wildlife, the two snakes were actually fighting. It’s incredibly rare for humans to witness such a sight, let alone capture it on camera. Noonan and Maloney plan to use the footage to educate their students about wildlife.
“They love studying snakes and frogs,” Noonan noted. “Why don’t we do a little studying about snakes? Why don’t we learn about them?”
Jesse Leddick, the Wildlife Assistant Director for Natural Heritage and Endangered Species, told the outlet that there are only about five or six rattlesnake populations left in Massachusetts. “They’ve been here for thousands of years. There aren’t many of them left,” he explained, adding that habitat loss, vehicle accidents, and disease have all had a hand in killing off the state’s rattlesnake population.
Though they are now a protected species, Leddick noted that “back in the late 1800s, there were actually rattlesnake bounties.”
Despite the brilliance of nature’s majesty, Noonan and Maloney wanted to capture their footage and make a swift retreat. “What if you got bit? What are you supposed to do?” Noonan recalled asking her pal.
Leddick advises that if you are bitten by a rattlesnake, immediately call 911 and find your way to the closest hospital. Many hospitals, including several in Massachusetts, are equipped with rattlesnake anti-venom. You should not attempt to suck out the venom yourself, something Leddick calls “an old wive’s tale.”
The rare encounter and the footage captured by Noonan and Maloney will not only serve as an educational tool for their students but also highlight the importance of conserving the few remaining rattlesnake populations in Massachusetts. The experience has left a lasting impression on the teachers and underscores the unexpected wonders that nature walks can unveil.