[pasmembers] Re: Fw: question about observations
- From: lphxaz@xxxxxxxxx
- To: pasmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:18:41 +0000
Thanks, Sam, I will forward this to Timo.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from orange
-----Original Message-----
From: insanas@xxxxxxx
Sender: pasmembers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:05:21
To: <pasmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: pasmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [pasmembers] Re: Fw: question about observations
Hey Timo,
This is in regard to your question about desert creatures at night.
I have done dark sky and solar observing at the Grand Canyon and have hike the
area many times in cold and heat.
It is best to find an area with as little brush as possible so the chances are
lower to encounter a venomous snake or lizard.
Wear long pants like Jeans and Hiking Boots. Many rattlesnake bites do not
pierce through these, but some do.
If you are going to the Grand Canyon in March, April, and May it can get pretty
cold out at night for the Rattlesnakes and Scorpions to come out so I wouldn't
worry too much about them at that time of the year since the top of the Grand
Canyon is a high elevation area.
Use a red light to scan the area you will set up and scan the area in the day
as well if you can.
Snakes can hear but they depend more on vibrations they feel in the ground
feeling the footsteps of a human walking towards them. Most of the time they
will move out of the way before you can see them so they can hide and hope you
won't hurt them.
Rattlesnakes - Rattlesnakes are venomous, some with hemotoxic venom and one
(Mojave Rattlesnake) with a high amount of neurotoxic venom, and most cases are
bites on the hands and mouths of male humans, in other words people grabbing
them and / or kissing them. Most Rattlesnake bites are dry bites meaning they
won’t release their venom, but it is always good to assume they did. I have
stepped over and walked next to rattlesnakes many times, and they tend to be
very peaceful (I recommend you walk 20 feet or more around them if needed).
When they rattle their tail they are warning you to back off because they are
afraid of you. We have a problem now in recent times because of people shooting
them when sighted, most surviving rattlesnakes know not to rattle because they
could get shot too, which of course we made the situation much worse now since
they don't always rattle before they strike. The second most common reason they
strike is people accidentally stepping on them, which means you are crushing
them. Many rattlesnakes have oval / diamond shaped patterns on their backs.
Gopher Snakes look like rattlesnakes with a similar pattern on their back and
without a rattle of course. They often puff their head like a triangle shaped
head that rattlesnakes have and shake their tail in the brush to sound like a
rattlesnake to warn you to back off. They have no venom but they do have teeth.
The Arizona Coral Snake is venomous but has small mouths so the only way to get
bit is on the small thin skin flaps between the fingers. That of course would
usually mean you were handling it in your hand and it has to keeping gnawing
its venom into you for a long time, which probably means you are drunk. They
are brightly colored and have red, yellow, and black bands. There are other
species of non-venomous snakes in the area with the same bright colors but the
sayings out here for a Coral Snake are Black-on-Yellow Kill-a-Fellow and
Red-on-Yellow Kill-a-Fellow. Red-to-Black Venom-Lack on other similarly colored
snakes like the Arizona Mountain Kingsnake and the Milksnake.
Gila Monsters - These large lizards are found only near the Colorado River near
the bottom of the Western Grand Canyon and I doubt you will be carrying a
telescope down a steep canyon trail for over 8 miles. These are found in the
deserts around Phoenix and Tucson, but the majority of the people bit are young
macho male humans between the ages of the 20 and 30 drinking and kissing them
on the lips. That is pure stupidity and when they bite it takes awhile for them
to let go. When biting they are slowly releasing venom. The second most common
bite is on the hands meaning people were picking them up. They hiss if they are
about to bite to warn you and they will only bite if you grab them or hurt them.
Scorpions are mostly nocturnal creatures in the desert. Most of the species in
Arizona have a sting that is less painful then a Bee sting. One species, the
Bark Scorpion has a very venomous and painful sting. The pain can last from 24
to 72 hours and is described as a burning sensation. According to the Mayo
Clinic you might experience rapid breathing, muscle twitching, increased heart
rate, high blood pressure and weakness. As long as you walk around the desert
in shoes and not bare feet you should be fine because that is how most people
get stung (well actually when humans put their feet in their shoes and there is
a scorpion sleeping in them). If you drop something on the ground use your red
flashlight before picking it up to see if one is there or even better a black
light so it will glow green in ultra violet light. They usually run away from
people. Just scan the area at night with a black light and see if there are any
around.
Black Widow Spiders (some are gray and brown) all have a red hourglass symbol
on their abdomen and have a very painful bite. According to the Mayo Clinic if
bitten you might get chills, fever, nausea and vomiting, and severe abominable
pain. I let these live in my house and they usually hide when they see me enter
my room. They don’t seem to defend their egg sack like other spiders nearly as
much. Usually you have to crush them with your hand in order for them to bite
you. In the desert they like piles of dead wood.
The Arizona Recluse Spider is another venomous creature that has a bite that
can cause severe tissue damage. They have a violin symbol on their back.
Tarantula Spiders usually bite when you squeeze their abdomen. Their bite is
described usually as a bee sting.
Giant Desert Centipedes are large and venomous, but are obvious to see and it
is best not to touch them.
None of these animals are out to get people. The desert is their home and there
are incidents with these creatures because they are defending themselves from
being killed or injured, which usually means they are being handled, kissed,
stepped on, crushed with your hands, etc.
If you get bit or stung by any of these creatures remember to go to an
emergency room immediately, especially if it is a Gila Monster or a Rattlesnake.
Aside from building a fire that will ruin your night vision, building a fire is
illegal in many areas and this might be another extreme drought year, which
means that the rangers will probably not allow fires to burn in many designated
areas because of the potential of a highly damaging wildfire.
Look up each of these creatures for photos, symptoms and what to do if bitten.
Sincerely,
Frank Insana
-----Original Message-----
From: LPhxAZ <lphxaz@xxxxxxxxx>
To: List Serv <pasmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Fri, Mar 23, 2012 2:52 am
Subject: [pasmembers] Fw: question about observations
see question below. I can write to him what I have written before to other
eople about: 1) suggested dark sky sites, 2) not to go alone but to bring
friend or two, and 3) if we have any star parties during the person's
lanned visit.
but - he is also asking about how to deal with "critters". has anyone had a
roblem with wildlife (especially the creeply crawly kind) at dark sky
ites, and what is the best way to deal with them?
---- Original Message -----
rom: <timo.nousiainen@xxxxxxxxxxx>
o: <Astronomy-Questions@xxxxxxxxx>
ent: Friday, March 23, 2012 1:24 AM
ubject: question about observations
ear Receiver,
I'm planning to visit the Arizona region (Grand Canyon area) this
pring and, since I am an amateur astronomer myself, I thought to take
ith my my camera and my binoculars. I would assume that the area
ould be very good for visual observations and photography (high
ltitude, little or no light pollution). It has been a long time since
last saw the stars in a truly dark place, and I'm looking forward to
emedy this during my trip.
My one concern is the safety. I mean, in Finland, where I come from,
e don't have to worry about snakes and such, but I assume this is not
he case in Arizona. Especially in the desert, there could be all
inds of dangerous animans around, and I cannot make a fire, for
xample, to keep them away if I want my eyes to adapt properly. I was
ondering if you could help me what to do about that. Are there
pecific spots in the area that would be safe? Are there some
rrangements that could be made to keep the snakes, scorpions or
haterver nasty monsters you have there away? I expect to spend about
hree nights in the area, starting from Phoenix and then visiting
lagstaff, Page, and the Canyon. Hopefully at least one of the nights
ould be cloudfree. Any suggestions for places to go near these places?
Yours sincerely,
-
imo Nousiainen
epartment of Physics
.O. Box 48
I-00014 University of Helsinki
inland
Other related posts:
