LOS ANGELES – Emily Taylor has lived in California for 20 years and has never gotten as many calls about rattlesnakes as she did last month.

Taylor owns Central Coast Snake Services, a serpent consulting business, directs the Physiological Ecology of Reptiles Laboratory at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is part of a network of volunteers who help ethically relocate rattlesnakes into the wild.

Her phone was "ringing off the hook," she said, with people who were calling about rattlesnake sightings all over the state.

In March, two people were fatally bitten by rattlesnakes in Southern California alone, a 46-year-old woman from Ventura County and a 25-year-old man in Orange County. Nationally, about five people die from rattlesnake bites in an entire year, according to health officials. Ventura County reported four rattlesnake bite incidents since March 14, compared to a total of nine in 2025.

The California Poison Control System has reported 77 calls of rattlesnake bites in just the first three months of 2026. On average, Poison Control reports 200 to 300 rattlesnake bites annually.

In her work on the Central Coast, Taylor said she had responded to calls from people who had encountered rattlesnakes in their backyards.

"We typically only get one or two [calls] in March before it goes crazy in April," she said.

Taylor said she'd already had about 10 to 20 times the number of calls she usually receives from those in her community.

Why? Simply put: The snakes have been more active — and so have people.

Unseasonably warm weather patterns, including the unprecedented heatwave in March, have driven rattlesnakes out of their winter retreats in search of food and mates a month ahead of the typical start of rattlesnake season, Taylor said. Similarly, the warmer temperatures have compelled outdoor enthusiasts to hit the trails, increasing the odds of a run-in with the serpents.

A typical rattlesnake season

Rattlesnake season is a misnomer in California because they're active year-round, meaning rattlesnakes can be seen throughout the year.

But they're less active during the winter, Taylor said, so you're less likely to see one.

A serpent might slither out during the winter if there's a warm spell to get a bit of sunshine, said Greg Pauly, curator of herpetology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

"As temperatures warm in the spring, we see a dramatic increase in daytime surface activity," Pauly said. "After eating nothing or very little through the winter months, rattlesnakes are actively foraging in the spring and also looking for mates."

Rattlesnakes like to hide in complex rocky outcrops, tall grass and squirrel burrows. In mountainous areas, such as Big Bear, several rattlesnakes will live together in dens. In the lowland areas that include Los Angeles, rattlesnakes have underground burrows that are home to one or maybe two snakes, Taylor said.

The peak season for rattlesnake activity occurs typically from April to October; it's also when the California Poison Control System receives the most calls of rattlesnake encounters.

What kick-started an early rattlesnake season

Rattlesnake activity is largely dictated by local weather, Pauly said.

"The rattlesnakes use the warm temperature," Taylor said, "as a cue for when it's time for them to come out and start being active."

This year, the unusually warm weather in March, plant abundance and a healthy amount of prey were early signals to rattlesnakes to begin their activity.

"We had good rains early in the winter followed by unusually warm weather," Pauly said. "With good plant growth, rodent populations are doing well, so the snakes have good food sources and warm temperatures that are triggering more surface activity."

Rattlesnakes do their best slithering in warm temperatures, specifically the high 70s to low 80s.

Recently, temperatures have been cooling down at night, so most of their activity is happening during the day.

"Unfortunately," Taylor noted, "that really led to a lot of rattlesnake encounters of the negative kind."

Later in rattlesnake season, Pauly said, "temperatures in low-elevation areas will be too high for much rattlesnake activity during the middle of the day, and snakes will be active in the morning, evening, and later into the night."

So, the snakes are active. Should we panic?

Taylor and Pauly want to set the record straight about rattlesnakes, whose rep as evil or villainous serpents is undeserved, they say.

Here are a couple of myths the experts busted.

The fiction: Rattlesnakes are lying in wait to bite humans.

The facts: Rattlesnakes want nothing to do with humans. Rattlesnakes suffer from being hit by cars and exposed to rodenticides, Pauly said.

Tangling with people is bad news for rattlesnakes because people are often trying to kill them, Taylor added.

"As a result, rattlesnakes tend to be in less developed areas, which is why they are often seen while people are out hiking in wildland areas," Pauly said.

A rattlesnake's first line of defense is camouflage, Taylor noted.

Although the snakes use their venom when defending themselves, studies have shown that the chemical nature of snake venom is primarily suited for killing its prey, such a rodents, she said.

Rattlesnakes "evolved this venom millions and millions of years before people were ever even in North America."

Rattlesnakes would rather save their venom to subdue their prey, she said.

The fiction: You can always tell there's a rattlesnake nearby because you'll hear their rattle.

The fact: Individual rattlesnakes, just like individual people, vary greatly in how they interpret threats, Pauly said.

Some rattlesnakes may be disturbed by a person who is 20 feet away and rattle in the hopes of getting the person to leave the area.

"Other rattlesnakes prefer to rely on their excellent camouflage and may not rattle or move until the person is very close," he said.

So, experts say it's a good idea to pay close attention to your surroundings when out hiking.

Be cautious — but don't write off rattlesnakes as vicious, the experts say. They play a vital role in the ecosystem, eating rodents, such as ground squirrels, that often carry diseases such as hantavirus, plague and Lyme disease.

If a serpent's prey happens to have seeds in their cheeks, "they will disperse those seeds, acting as nature's gardeners, pooping out the seeds in a little pile of fertilizer," Taylor said.

Also in the rattlesnake win column, their venom has been a major source of inspiration for medical treatments, Taylor said. Scientists are exploring how snake venom could address cancer, strokes and Alzheimer's disease, she said.

What to do if you encounter a rattlesnake

Death due to a rattlesnake bite is a rare occurrence. About 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes annually, and — despite the two recent deaths in Southern California — only around five of the people who are bitten typically die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you see a rattlesnake in the wild, experts say the best thing you can do is put distance between it and yourself. Back away from the snake slowly.

"Don't back away too quickly because ... you [could] stumble and injure yourself," Taylor said.

If you are wondering about whether you are within striking distance, Pauly said, then you are too close. If the snake does strike, he noted, "they strike faster than people can react to the strike."

"Give rattlesnakes at least three to four feet of space, and more for larger individuals," he said. "Keep your distance, take a few photos to add to a community science platform like iNaturalist, and then allow yourself and the snake to continue on in your journey."

When you're enjoying a trail, stick to the designated path and avoid walking in tall grass or areas where you cannot see the ground.

During a hike, if you need to take a break on a log or a rock, make sure to inspect it before taking a seat.

©2026 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.