Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, Pacific Crest Trail, Castella, California, USA Royalty-Free Stock Image

I almost stepped on this 3 to 4 footer while taking a short hike on the PCT; fortunately these snakes are mostly passive and it preferred to move along rather than mess with me. “The Rattlesnake life cycle begins in late summer to fall. This is the time that males seek females out to mate. Actually, males ‘sniff’ females out – the fat of female Rattlesnakes in good reproductive condition gives off an odor attractive to males. As a female moves about her habitat, the odor leaves a trail for the males to follow.” bcreptiles.ca