Thursday, April 20, 2006
The Law of Unintended Consequences is a Bitch
I'm not exactly sure how to frame this thought in my mind. Is it a powerful argument for teaching evolution in public schools, a pithy comment on life's little ironies, or just an amusing story? I don't know. All three really.
What it comes down to is this...rattlesnakes, like many venomous snakes, have a display behavior meant to discourage other animals from messin' with 'em. Cottonmouths show off their bright white mouths, coral snakes look corally and rattlesnakes wag their little butts like maracas. This lets everybody know that there's a big ol' snake here and maybe some dry pants would be nice, so why not wander back home? Unfortunately, many enterprising folks who are not as fond of large venomous snakes as I have found that rattle to be a good way to spot the snake so they can whomp on it. Which, of course, leads to rattlesnakes that don't rattle till you're right on top of them, making them more dangerous. Oops.
Don't fuck with Mother Nature. She'll give you all the rope you need.
What it comes down to is this...rattlesnakes, like many venomous snakes, have a display behavior meant to discourage other animals from messin' with 'em. Cottonmouths show off their bright white mouths, coral snakes look corally and rattlesnakes wag their little butts like maracas. This lets everybody know that there's a big ol' snake here and maybe some dry pants would be nice, so why not wander back home? Unfortunately, many enterprising folks who are not as fond of large venomous snakes as I have found that rattle to be a good way to spot the snake so they can whomp on it. Which, of course, leads to rattlesnakes that don't rattle till you're right on top of them, making them more dangerous. Oops.
Don't fuck with Mother Nature. She'll give you all the rope you need.
// posted by nerodia @ 4:36 PM 
