What's New?

Nick's State Of The Union Address...

The site is back online!

April 26, 2001

I can't believe I've been down for three years... I actually threw this site back up on my server more than a year ago, but I didn't register a domain name until now. We're now at http://crotalus.kittycrack.net. Many of the links are long dead. I'm trying to get things updated. One of these days I hope to resurrect the peer-to-peer discussion forum, but for now it's a thing of the past. I'm not even sure I have the data that was in the old DB.

So, look around, forgive the mess, and hopefully learn something about the James Bond of animals, the noble rattlesnake!

-Nick Dallett

February 22, 1998

I finally took the time to do an update of the site. One of the things that made it possible was giving myself permission to stop doing the "Ask Nick" section. This has been problematic for two reasons. First, I have been too busy lately to give the questions the time and research that they deserve. Second, searching through my questions and building them into the Q&A page was the most time-consuming part of the update.

Not only that, but sometime last year I had a hard drive crash, taking months worth of questions and answers with it. Also lost was the first of hopefully many kids' reports for my (so far vaporware) section on same. Because of that crash, there is still no kids report section. If you have kids that have done reports on rattlesnakes, and you would like to see their work posted here, send me text and pictures (if you don't have pictures scanned, email me and I'll give you my postal address. I can scan pictures and return them to you.).

So What's New?

NEW ADDRESS! Through the magic of DNS aliasing, you may now update your bookmarks to the shorter, sweeter version of the web address. The new URL is "http://crotalus.seeport.com." If you prefer to type "http://www.seeport.com/staff/dallett/klauber/klauber.htm", go right ahead - it's the same site, just a longer name.

I have added a peer to peer discussion forum for discussion of rattlesnake issues. This replaces the "Ask Nick" functionality, and you will have the benefit of my experience as well as that of other experts.

I received a number of pictures and narrative from Greg Basham in San Diego County, and have assembled his materials into a new excursions page. Click on the "excursions" link to visit his wonderful pictures of the Red Diamond, the Speckled Rattlesnake, the Longnosed snake, and a one-in-a-million pic of a tarantula hawk doing what it does best.

Finally, in response to pressure from the herpetological community, I have removed the pointers to rattlesnake meat suppliers and the snake recipes on the Commodity page. The rattlesnake salad recipe is still available from the "Rattlesnakes and Man" page as a curiosity. Many of my fellow herpers felt that including that information condoned rattlesnake roundups. After lots of thought and not much action, I decided to remove the information, but I will still supply it to people who email me with a good reason for having it.

July 4th, 1997

February 15, 1997

Apologies to all those who are eagerly awaiting updates... Hopefully everyone has found our new loaction - please update your bookmarks. DAKA went down in flames, so I moved the whole site to SEEport. Check out http://www.seeport.com/ to see my sponsor and part-time employer's site.

I have not had time to do a much needed update. Thank you all for your questions and information. Someday, it will all go online. The wish list includes reports by kids who got information from this site - I have one so far, and hope to put together a new section including these reports. If your son or daughter is using this site for a school project, please email me about the project. I'll publish the text, and if the project includes pictures or other visual aids, perhaps we can arrange for me to get the materials by mail to scan and return.

The only new item this go-round is the online search function. This allows a keyword search of the entire site.

What WAS New?

One of the things about maintaining a web site that has it hands down over writing a book is that you can do revisions whenever you want. Every week, I get new information, a new photo, or realize there is something I have left unsaid. Unfortunately, I don't have time to update weekly...

So what is since the June update? Well, first of all, I have added a new section, "Excursions." Excursions is a collection of photo-essays on herp expeditions by myself and others. I have put the c. ruber encounter there, as well as the long-promised but never before delivered report on the San Diego Zoo's Klauber-Shaw reptile house. At the risk of offending purists among my readership, one of my "Excursions" details a lizard hunt I went on recently, which has brought up the exciting prospect of a possible undocumented species of lizard in the Pacific Northwest. Finally, I have added a page on Carl Hess (macchess@fast.net), a regular correspondent who has been photographing c. horridus near his home in Pennsylvania.

Carl also sent a list of recommended books, which I have added to my anemic bibliography.

"Ask Nick" continues to grow (well into 3 pages), with some interesting questions sent in by readers. There are more and more requests for information on where to sell venom, and one query that allowed me to put on my Sherlock Holmes cap to figure out what it was that bit a poor fellow's dog (curious? Read the letter HERE.)

-Nick