Nearly 12 years after a juvenile albino eastern diamondback rattlesnake was found in western Coffee County near Lax, the snake is thriving in captivity, has produced one litter of babies, and is expecting another.
The snake was found on October 28, 2013, off Highway 90 a couple miles south of Lax. While it’s not unheard of to find albino rattlesnakes (or albinos of other species) in the wild, it’s certainly not common. However, several albino rattlesnakes have been found in the Lax area over the years.
The individuals who found the snake didn’t harm it. After making a few phone calls, a deal was brokered to get the snake into captivity. Since then, the snake, which is a female, has done well. She is now 5 ½ feet long and is expecting her second clutch of babies. Rattlesnakes, like all pit vipers, give birth to live young.
She has most certainly lived a longer and more productive life in captivity than she would have in the wild. Albinos of any species of animal, particularly predators, don’t typically live very long. Their coloration destroys their camouflage and takes away the element of surprise when hunting. It also makes them susceptible to predators when they’re young – and yes, there are fellow predators that will kill and eat rattlesnakes in the wild.
Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes can live up to 25 years in captivity so this snake would still be considered middle aged. And thanks to a few folks who didn’t kill first and ask questions later, her legacy has been established and her Coffee County lineage will live on.