Rattlesnakes not as uncommon as they once were around Lake Tahoe

Prior to 2015, rattlesnakes were not seen in the Lake Tahoe Basin. It was that year when a large rattlesnake from underneath the porch of a home in the Bijou neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe.

"That was the first documented rattlesnake within the Lake Tahoe Basin that we, or anyone in the Tahoe Biologist Interagency Group, are aware of," said Dr. Will Richardson said at the time in a story he wrote.

Richardson is the executive director of the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS).

"The 2015 Bijou incident fits nicely into a steady pattern of increased rattlesnake sightings at higher elevations, likely driven by climate change and the trend toward longer, warmer, drier summers. Interestingly, it appears the snakes may be coming over the higher mountain passes from the west," wrote Richardson.

Two rattlesnakes were found recently on the Pyramid Creek Trail just outside of Desolation Wildnerness, a common area for the snakes according to Richardson. Even though these snakes were outside of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Richardson said it is becoming "pretty regular" to see rattlesnakes along the Sierra crest and into the Lake Tahoe Basin.

On Thursday, the TINS director said he assumed the rattlesnakes would come into the basin from the east and in particular the Kingsbury Grade and Spooner Summit areas, but so far that hasn't been the case. He hasn't had any reports of rattlesnakes on the whole Nevada side of the Lake Tahoe Basin, yet.

When hiking around Lake Tahoe, look carefully around and under logs and rocks before sitting down, and avoid placing your hands or feet where you cannot see clearly.

Because snakes are ectotherms, they depend on external sources for heat, says Outbound.com. "This is why you’re likely to find a snake stretched across a trail in the early morning or evening - he or she is just gathering energy for the day! During the hottest part of the day, snakes seek shelter from the sun as we do, and you may find them resting under rocks and limbs," they wrote.

Don't forget, snakes are afraid of us. Outbound.com said, when faced with a predator, many snake species will flee, but if they coil up in an S shape, rattle, or writhe around, they are scared and are telling you to leave them alone.