As it turned out, the students were not the only ones who learned something that day. The only safe way to do so was to pick the animal up. Using a metal snake hook, I pinned the head firmly against the ground and grasped the snake around its neck behind the pair of enormous venom glands. Knowing that more than half of U.S. snakebites occur after someone picks up the snake, I lifted the giant off the ground as carefully as possible. I supported its thick body on both forearms.
Snakes make good props for lecturing, and no student had to be told to pay attention.
After letting the students see the yellow eyes with their black, elliptical pupils, I wanted to show them the enormous fangs. The hollow hypodermic syringes that deliver the venom were an inch long. When a rattlesnake closes its mouth, the hinged fangs fold neatly inside. But with mouth open, in striking position, the fangs extend outward from the front of the upper jaw. I used the snake stick to open the mouth and reveal the white fangs.