The Eastern King Snake is notorious for eating east coast rattlers but the only relative of the king snake we have is the mostly helpless Milk Snake. As far as building resistance to venom it may happen within one King Snake's lifetime but it is not a species- wide trend. A big Diamonback's greatest threat comes from cats, foxes, coyotes, skunks & badgers not to mention the everpresent death from above scenario. Snakes are basically helpless making the rattlesnake's rattle all the more mysterious. Riley actually came just a few miles from your beloved Texas. I found him in a volcanic crater called Killbourne hole, 20 miles from El Paso, in the shadow of Mt. Riley.
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- frank 9-07-2002 6:44 pm