Swimming Rattlesnake Panics Folsom Lake Boaters

FOLSOM, CA — Yes, snakes can swim, and swim well, as this disturbing video posted earlier this month on Twitter shows. The 75-second video, which was posted by Anthony Baciocco‏, is straight out of a creepy snake nightmare.

Baciocco and friends were boating on Folsom Lake, which is a popular summer spot for many Californians, when they spotted the tenacious serpent swimming behind their boat. Once they recognized the snake was a rattler, the boaters were at first amused, whistling and calling it like a dog.

The laughing quickly subsided and the screaming started when they realized the poisonous snake was in fact, trying to slither onto the boat. The persistent hitchhiker made it onto the back of the vessel, prompting the panicked boaters to gun the engine in order to wash the rattler off into the lake.

Baciocco said via Twitter, “No more boating on Folsom Lake this year…”

The video has garnered 100 comments, 1,200 retweets and has been viewed more than 2,700 times since it was posted on July 6.

Following months of heavy rains and proliferation of fresh vegetation growth, the warm weather, an abundance of rattlesnakes have been spotted all over the state.

See Also:

• Snake Safety: What To Do If You See A Rattlesnake

Photo courtesy David McNew / Getty Images News / Getty Images