Strange snake dance on display


LOVELORN—Resident Kristine Clark was on a neighborhood run Sept. 2 when she photographed these two Western diamondback rattlesnakes in a strange, coupled position on the sidewalk in front of Juan de Anza Park in Calabasas. As people came close to snap photos, the snakes appeared to rise up in a defensive posture. In actuality, it was two males engaged in a late summer “combat dance” to win courtship rights. A nearby female had released pheramones to signal she’s ready, and a tussle ensued between two males to decide who gets the girl. The fight is a formality only as neither male in these situations ever gets injured.

LOVELORN—Resident Kristine Clark was on a neighborhood run Sept. 2 when she photographed these two Western diamondback rattlesnakes in a strange, coupled position on the sidewalk in front of Juan de Anza Park in Calabasas. As people came close to snap photos, the snakes appeared to rise up in a defensive posture. In actuality, it was two males engaged in a late summer “combat dance” to win courtship rights. A nearby female had released pheramones to signal she’s ready, and a tussle ensued between two males to decide who gets the girl. The fight is a formality only as neither male in these situations ever gets injured.