A terrified Arizona family got trapped in their own backyard when they were confronted by a massive Mojave rattlesnake.
Video footage captured the terrifying encounter in the Arizona desert that left the family frozen in fear.
The clip shows a monstrous Mojave rattlesnake slithering past their patio chairs – side eyeing them while hissing by.
The heart-stopping moment was captured in video shared by Patty Schaefer, who posted the clip to TikTok with the caption: ‘Welcome to Arizona! My friends are trapped in their chairs in their back yard by this Mojave rattlesnake!’
The video, which was shared on Tuesday, has since gone viral, racking up over 500,000 likes as viewers watched in horror.
A terrified Arizona family got trapped in their own backyard when they were confronted by a massive Mojave rattle snake
Video footage captured the terrifying encounter in the Arizona desert that left the family frozen in fear
Commenters were quick to add their own humorous comments regarding the serpent’s slow and menacing crawl.
‘He’s like “if you stay there, I’ll stay here,”‘ one user joked.
‘Why he slithering by like “I wish you would,”‘ another chimed in.
‘He’s slithering by like, “Don’t start no sh!t now!!”‘ a third added.
‘This looks personal. The song, the side eye, the fact that it took him three business days to pass. It’s all perfect.’
Mojave rattlesnakes are known for their potent venom and aggressive nature.
Arizona sees between 150 and 350 snake bites each year.
This year alone, there have been a record 100 rattlesnake bites reported in Arizona and experts are warning of increasing danger.
Arizona also has the highest per-capita death rate from snake bites in the United States.
A snake bite can cause include internal bleeding, breathing difficulties, and permanent tissue and nerve damage – but getting prompt treatment can make a big difference.
‘There are a few treatments for rattlesnake bites, but by far the most effective treatments, really, only effective treatment is antivenom,’ Dr. Travis Nick, medical director at Scottsdale Ranch Animal Hospital, told Fox10 in July.
‘Rattlesnakes here cause tissue damage and they cause hemotoxicity, which basically means that your blood doesn’t clot very well. So antivenom helps prevent the progression of that,’ Dr. Meghan Spyres with Banner Poison Center told the outlet.
Rattlesnakes are most active in the summertime. Arizona has the most species of rattlesnakes than anywhere in the US
Rattlesnakes are most active in the summertime, Nick added, as 90 percent of bites in the US occur between April and October.
He also said Arizona has the most species of rattlesnakes than anywhere in the US.
‘We have 13 different species of rattlesnakes,’ he said. ‘So we’re significantly at risk.’
Spyres said the snakes are scare of humans just as humans fear them.
‘My research shows they’re chickens, you know? They’re scared of us and when we try to mess with them,’ she said. Their most common behavior – like if we were to throw rocks – they try to flee because they’re scared. So their main behavior is hiding and fleeing.’
