SNAKE SIGHTINGS BRING WARNING.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

Rattlesnakes have been slithering into back yards and across hiking trails earlier in the season than usual, experts say, a result of the lack of rainfall which affects the overall food chain.

Though the number of sightings isn't any higher than within a normal season, they said hikers and walkers planning to hit mountain trails still are being warned.

``We've had a snake sighting almost every day,'' said Carol Mercado, Burbank's recreation coordinator, who oversees Stough Canyon Nature Center and Wildwood Park. ``We don't know if it's the same snake or different ones, but we've been listing the sightings on a board.''

Rattlers, the only venomous snake in California, begin to emerge from hibernation when the temperatures rise, experts say. They feed primarily on rodents and squirrels that forage on vegetation.

But low rainfall levels mean less food for the critters, prompting snakes to then roam into habitated areas as the rodents move there in search of food.

Mercado said hikers who visit the nature center are given a pamphlet that includes a diagram of the rattlesnake, different from others in its species because it has a fatter body, distinctive tail and triangular shaped head.

According to experts, 80 percent of snake bites occur on hands.

``I'd say curiosity is the biggest reason why that happens,'' said George Struble, senior park ranger for Glendale.

``The majority of people who are hit by a rattlesnake are those who try to pick it up or poke it with a stick,'' agreed Patrick Foy, spokesman for the state's Department of Fish and Game.

Foy added that rattlesnakes shake their tails to emit a rattling sound as a defense mechanism. They don't always rattle before striking.

``Most animals that hear that know to stay away, but people tend to move in closer to get a look,'' Foy said. ``In that way, animals are smarter than people.''

So far, no bites have been reported this year in the state, Foy said.

Despite a nationwide shortage of antivenom, a spokeswoman at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center said the hospital has enough on hand at this point, and is expecting more in July.

The Food and Drug Administration reports that between 1,000 and 10,000 people are bitten by rattlesnakes each year, and about 14 die. Untreated rattlesnake bites can cause permanent damage and disability.

Experts have released the following precautions for hikers or casual walkers:

--Watch where you put your hands and feet. Don't step over a log or rock if you can't see on the other side. Don't climb ledges or rocky hillsides if you can't see your next handhold. Don't reach under a rock or into a hole if you don't know what's there.

--Wear high boots with loose jeans over them when hiking through brush.

--Dead rattlesnakes should be avoided. Many people have been bitten by the reflex action of dead snakes.