Western Diamondback

I was on a hike with my 4-year-old daughter today and we bumped into this guy! Gave me quite a start, it's amazing how well they blend in. I was right where this photo was taken for about 2-3 minutes clearing a dead tree because we were going to climb up on the shelf where this guy happened to by sunbathing.

How long does it take you to find him?

I've been told that each "button", or rattle on their tail is indicative of one year of life, but I cannot verify that. If that's true, this one was about 8-9 years old.

The buttons aren't added yearly, it's folk wisdom. A rattlesnake gets a button added to its rattle each time it sheds its skin, depending on age of the snake and growth rate this can be anywhere from once a year to 4-5 times a year. Newborn rattlers only have one button, and can't rattle until they shed the first time.

Also, that snake has broken some buttons off its rattle-very common, especially with older individuals with long rattles. I've read that a rattle with 5-7 buttons makes the most noise. Less, and there's not enough rattling. More and they interfere with each other.

Very nice pics, glad neither of you got bitten stumbling on it like you did.