Crotalinae

The bite from a diamond back rattlesnake can be lethal, however, it is quite rare for people to die from one. Yes, it's very painful but there is antivenom available which is plentiful in supply. The fear people have of them does not seem to reflect this fact.

This is one of the things that attracts Tim to these animals. He has had a fascination for all reptiles since he was a young boy, and kept slow worms and salamander lizards throughout his childhood. It wasn't until his late teens that he began to step up his collection. Not only did he increase the volume, but also the ferocity of his "pets".

Tim was 20 years old when he got his first diamond back. He found a seller online whom he contacted, importantly checking out the snakes, along with the conditions they were kept in before purchasing. He would never buy one from somebody that he believed mistreated these wonderful creatures.

Another thing that drew Tim to rattlesnakes was the rattle itself. It's a very distinguished, daunting sound, used by the snake to ward off anything that it doesn't want coming into its vicinity. This loud swishing sound is enough to send shivers down the spine of all that hear it.

On seeing (and hearing) the young snakes for sale, Tim was in no doubt that he had to have one. He took out his money, chose the one he wanted and completed the deal.

A legal requirement when selling one of these creatures is to include a certain amount of antivenom within the sale. So, Tim now has his dream snake along with his life saving medicine should anything go wrong. It is quite common for owners of these snakes to be bitten and is a risk they take as par for the course.

Tim places the young snake into a pillowcase very carefully, using one of those hooks at the end of a long rod you see on the tv, keeping its head as far from him as possible. He ties the pillowcase at the top and the snake is now deemed secure enough to transport home.

On the drive back the snake remains calm and still, you wouldn't even know it was in there.

Tim arrives home and takes the latest edition to his collection and enters his room where he has already prepared the glass tank for its arrival. He holds the pillowcase above its new home and tentatively opens the top, turns it upside down and shakes the contents out onto the floor of this revamped aquarium. There are heaters and lights to keep it at the right temperature, along with some bark, stones and sand. All of the things you would associate with its natural habitat.

With the lid of the tank firmly closed, Tim calls his best friend, Scott. He can't wait for him to come around to see it. Scott, for the most part plays along but doesn't share Tim's love of exotic pets, he finds it all a bit odd. This seems to add to Tim's pleasure of having these animals.

Scott arrives and Tim unveils his new pet.

"Woow, what the...?" Scott never knew what Tim was getting, other than it was another reptile.

Tim loves his reaction and smiles.

Scott continues, "you're crazy, that thing will kill you."

" No, it's fine, they rarely kill anyone...I have antivenom, look, " he shows Scott the package the seller gave him.

"Rarely?! That's a big enough risk for me mate."

Tim laughs.

"That thing is like a lethal weapon...more dangerous than keeping a gun in your room. In fact, people are more scared of rattlesnakes than guns. You could take that thing into a bank and they would give you all their money in a heartbeat."

Then there's a pause, quite a long pause. The cogs are visibly turning in both of their heads. They look at each other with a nervous excitement.

"Are you seriously giving what I just said some consideration?" Scott says, trying to make it sound ridiculous but clearly not totally ruling out the idea himself.

Tim looks up, "I've heard crazier suggestions. Maybe a bank would be a little ambitious, but what about a small jewellers?"

" I don't know mate, this needs some serious thought. "

"Ok, I know it sounds mad but let's think about it for a couple of days."

Their attention switches back to the here and now, Scott seems to be warming to Tim's new friend, "what you gonna call him?"

" Crotalinae...Crota for short. It's the Latin word for rattlesnake, originating from the word castanets. It's all to do with the rattle sound. When you hear that noise mate, you know there's danger close by. "

"That's pretty cool," Scott looks through the glass, " hi, Crota. "

Late that night, Tim is struggling sleeping. His mind keeps going over the earlier conversation with Scott. Should they use the fear of people against them? They don't love snakes the way he does, they should understand them a bit more. It's their own stupid fault if they get robbed because of their dislike of Crota.

Scott is also having a restless night for the same reason and texts Tim, 'Are you awake mate? Can't say too much on here obviously but been thinking a lot about what we said earlier, can I come around first thing to discuss it?'

Tim responds immediately, 'same here mate. Yeah, come down at 8, I'll be the only one here.'

Scott replied with a thumbs up emoji.

Morning comes and Scott is at Tim's house at 7:45, "sorry I'm a bit early, I couldn't sleep."

" That's alright, my Mum's just left. "

Scott gets straight to the point, "we've gotta do this mate, it's easy money. I've been thinking... put Crota in a sports bag, obviously make sure it's safe for you, get in the jewellers, wait for the right time, then you empty him out onto the floor. They will lose their shit Tim. Get as much stuff into the bag as you can, then get Crota back and we're away. You'll need a telescopic version of that hook thing, and you'll need to practice getting him back in the bag quickly. "

Tim thinks for a moment, "...and what about you? Where do you fit in?"

" We can use my motorbike to getaway, I'll get some moody plates made up, I'll be right outside for when you come out. "

"What about my face, they will see me on the cameras?"

" Barely mate, you will have a crash helmet on when you get off the bike, then put a baseball cap on over your eyes and your Covid face mask over your nose and mouth. Get the crash helmet back on as quick as you can when you come out and we'll shoot off round through the back streets. I was thinking of the jewellers down West Hill Road, there's loads of back streets round there."

Tim pauses again, "What if someone actually gets bit?"

" Take some antivenom and leave it there, as soon as we get to safety we can tip off the old bill so they know the score. "

"Ok, I'm in. Let's do it."

Over the coming weeks, Tim gets more familiar with Crota, practicing getting him in and out of the bag as quickly as possible. Scott rides around the back streets near West Hill Road finding all of the different alleys and where they lead to.

The big day arrives, the day of the robbery. Both Scott and Tim are well rehearsed in their respective roles.

Tim places Crota in his sports bag just as he has so many times in practice. He makes sure he has the telescopic hook, his face mask and his baseball cap. He's ready to go.

Scott arrives on his motorbike, Tim goes out to meet him. He takes the spare crash helmet from Scott and pops it on his head, "You ready?" he asks. Scott nods in response. "Let's do this."

They pull up about 30 metres from the jewellers and Tim swaps his crash helmet for the baseball cap and face mask, making sure there is very little of his face showing as he does so. They wait a few moments to see if anyone goes in or comes out. As soon as they think it's safe, Tim makes his way to the door. His heart is pounding and he is sweating profusely under all of his clothes.

Crota is strategically placed in the bag for easy access. Tim holds the bag by the strap with one hand and the other is discreetly touching the zip. He enters the shop. There are no other customers, brilliant

A smiling shop assistant speaks as he walks in, "morning."

Tim puts on a false voice, " hello".

Then everything just happens so fast. The zip was open and Crota was on the counter. The lady screams hysterically and pins herself to the wall as far away from the snake as she can get. Crota rattles his tail which makes her scream more, which makes him rattle more and through the chaos, Tim grabs everything he can get his hands on. He quickly gets Crota back in the bag, and walks out of the shop as calmly as he can.

Scott is waiting by the door, engine running. He hands Tim the crash helmet once again. The quickest of transitions of head gear and they are away, long before any sign of the police.

They get back to Tim's house and get Crota back in his tank before checking out their loot.

They are more than happy with their mornings work. Laughing uncontrollably they grab the handfuls of gold like pirates with their treasure. "Nice work Crota," Tim looks across the room at him with a proud smile, "You did good."

Other than making the local news bulletin, the guys heard nothing more about the robbery and are considering doing it again, only out of town.

With people having a bigger fear of snakes than even guns, Tim and Scott may have just stumbled upon the best 'weapon' for a heist. Crota really is worth his weight in gold.