But two weeks ago, a 5-foot eastern diamondback rattlesnake stopped the 37-year-old in his tracks. The snake was coiled up next to a tree stump, shaking its tail rapidly as Hosey approached. The eastern diamondback is the largest venemous snake in the U.S., reaching up to 8 feet in length as a mature adult. "Under other circumstances or if outwardly challenged, an eastern diamondback may rattle and blow loudly, and subsequently bite if approached to within striking range," the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks explains on its website. "I'm walking through their habitat daily and year round.

Source: Fox News July 30, 2018 22:07 UTC