Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Crotalus adamanteus
I travel to Florida with my family about every other year and only get to take one day to hunt snakes on each visit, so I am by no means an expert on the finer aspects of Florida snake hunting. Over the years I have been able to locate some really neat and even rare herps, but my favorite find of all time in Florida was this Collier county Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake.

When I discovered this snake crossing a road I was totally unprepared. All I had was a cheap little pocket camera. I was wearing tennis shoes like a true tourist. I did not even have a snake hook, and I had to resort to using a baby stroller to pose this snake for pictures. There were tourists taking pictures of me using the stroller to pose this snake! I got several pictures and I guess this was the best one. I know it is not the best pose and not so great of an EDB image, but for me it is GREAT! When I look at it I remember seeing that big fat beast from at least 200 yards away and stomping the gas so I could get to it before it escaped. The snake struck at me repeatedly and I can only imagine what I looked like with that baby stroller. The sun was bright, and I even remember how the air tasted when I look at the picture. Sometimes I am unable to get the kind of picture that I am after, but years later when I am at home looking over things I am always happy when I see images I got that may have not seemed so good at the time. Sometimes being able to relive the experience and the memories is a better reward than taking a killer picture. Keep this in mind as you are out in your travels, and just keep your cameras rolling!