20 rattlesnakes infest Arizona man's garage in shocking discovery

Mesa, Arizona - An Arizona man suspected there might be a few snakes hiding in his cluttered garage, but snake wrangler Marissa Maki found more than she bargained for!

Western diamondback rattlesnakes can be identified by their distinctive triangular heads.
Western diamondback rattlesnakes can be identified by their distinctive triangular heads.  © Unsplash/Joshua J. Cotten

On Tuesday, the man called in snake wrangler Marissa Maki from Rattlesnake Solutions LLC to investigate the scene. Maki found a whopping 20 rattlesnakes huddled around a hot water heater.

Maki identified five adult western diamondback rattlesnakes and 15 babies. One of the adult snakes was also pregnant.

After taking account of the snakeskin sheds, it is now thought likely that up to 40 snakes were in the garage at one point.

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"This is our record for the most rattlesnakes caught in one call," Rattlesnake Solutions owner Bryan Hughes said, per USA Today. "We'll never know how many rattlesnakes have come and gone over time."

Why were there so many snakes in that garage?

Maki believes the snakes came through a small gap in the garage door.

The sheer number of snakes could, Maki says, come down to one of the adult snakes being the mother of some of the others. Even so, "That is a lot of snakes," Maki said. "I'm not going to lie; this is crazy."

Western diamondbacks live in the American Southwest and can be identified by their triangular heads.

While their venom isn't as dangerous as some other rattlesnakes, western diamondbacks must still be handled safely.

Cover photo: Unsplash/Joshua J. Cotten

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