Can Rattlesnakes Swim in Texas Lakes? (Sure…)

(KNUE-FM) Sometimes we run throughout movies we positively do NOT need to see, however we will not look away. Even a couple of years later, we nonetheless give it some thought and shudder. Such is the case with a viral video that’s been resurfacing recently, exhibiting a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake swimming in a Texas lake. While this occurred a couple of years in the past, the video has began circulating once more—and it’s catching loads of East Texans off guard.

Wait… Did You Know Rattlesnakes Can Swim?

Wait for a minute. Did YOU know rattlesnakes might SWIM? I absolutely didn’t. We have so many stunning lakes in East Texas. And as a lot as I like to waterski and be out on the water, and generally even IN the water, it is my inherent repulsion concerning snakes that may swim that retains me securely IN the boat. But I solely thought it was cottonmouths I needed to look out for. Apparently not.

Where This Viral Texas Video Came From

So, what is the context of this video of a swimming Western Diamondback Rattlesnake that might simply be edited right into a Texas-based horror flick? This Western Diamondback Rattlesnake is definitely the most typical venomous snake in Texas. Granted, the snake is swimming on a WEST Texas lake, if that offers any of us any consolation. But the concept that it may possibly SWIM is more likely to hatch some new fears, particularly now that we’re entering into snake season.

Read More: This Beautiful, But Dangerous, Creature is Coming Ashore Along the Texas Beaches

According to a report from the Houston Chronicle from a couple of years again, this explicit snake was swimming “on the O.H. Ivie Lake near San Angelo, Texas. A “co-angle” aboard the boat in the video, which was originally posted by @trailing_the_hunters_moon on Instagram, appeared less than enthused about the sight, shaking her head and looking away.”

Why This Video Is Sticking With People

Ya assume?! Less-than-enthused is an understatement of how many people would really feel seeing this little traveler.

OK, this is the video in all of its horrific glory:

What Texas Wildlife Experts Want You to Know

Now that we have watched this explicit little bit of nightmare fodder, we will take some consolation in what the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department shared of their publish:

“‘Most snakes can swim but they’re not interested in humans,’ the agency added. ‘Leave them alone and they’ll be on their way.'”

Well, I mentioned *some* consolation.