My first thought was that it is a stick, but then I saw that it's moving.
How is that related to being on an unused railway? π€
this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2024
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after a long period of disuse, the rails turn back into the snakes they were made from
Damn straight!
When you look at the snake picture, you can clearly see the rocky railway embankment which attracts all kinds of lizards and snakes.
I never saw more snakes on single road then on these ones.
Is that possibly because their more natural environments have been destroyes by humans? The old rail line might be one of the only places left for reptiles to soak up some sun in the area.
There are few, but I have to admit that the rail line is like island in the see of fields.
And some argue that there aren't any "natural" environment left after 1000 years of human activity here. (Even researchers say that very few places that wasn't touched are left)
I can confirm that the same thing happens without the rocky embankment...
@Kecessa @plactagonic dirt paths in australia have good numbers of snakes, I tink observations of snakes are just common.
Wait till you start hitting them. You have it easy with a rail to trail. I've seen some thick rattlers and ran over a couple coming around corners in SoCal. The coolest I ever saw was a California King snake on a road that runs along the back side of Laguna Beach. That looks like a harmless garter IMO. I don't know why exactly, but the dangerous ones stick out to my vision when I'm riding. I can spot them as different the second I see them, but I have seen quite a few over the years. I always feel bad when I hit any animal on the bike, and I'm much slower than I used to be now, so it is not as likely to occur. However, garters are pretty funny when they panic and scramble to get out of the way on a paved surface. It is like a cartoon character slipping on ice. If I have any amount of leadup, I'll bunny hop them without issue, by in sharp corners at speed, I've hit several. Even hitting something like a rattler in those circumstances, they don't have the forewarning and posture necessary to strike and the odds of them figuring out how to go after your legs in the middle of the bike, height off the ground and strike above the shoes is pretty low. They are far more likely to attempts a strike at your front wheel if anything. Everything I've ckne across either wanted to GTFO of there or pretend I don't exist. Some start rattling after I've past, stopped, and taken a look, but none have been aware of my presence as a real threat prior to passing them at speeds in the mid to upper 20's (mph).
Main issue for me would be hitting them, I had few close calls recently.
They apparently love the hot stones along the road so I saw them several times there. But seeing one stretched nearly the whole width of the road was unexpected.
We have 5 species of snakes 1 is poisonous but nothing dangerous. This one is probably what I saw totally harmless but can be up to 140 cm long.
I don't like to kill anything with my bike even slugs which are everywhere after rain are PITA to clean from frame and tires.
All I see is free dinner.
Its a free tire repair kit.
Or a belt replacement
I love railroad cycleways! The asphalt tends to be pristine and there's usually ok views from the embankment.
Thanks for posting. At least they stand out on the pavement. I almost stepped on a rattlesnake on a hiking trail, but those rattles are good for something.
That's why I'm a trail biker. All road cycling looks like that to me.