rattlesnake

Question
I found a longitudinally striped snake about 18inches long with 2.5  buttons on its tail. it had a smooth small head, not triangular like rattlers I've seen. Our local Indian patriarch informed me that some viviparous species are mating with other viviparous species, as in rattlers and gophers. I had a good close look, it was at my feet under the rosebush I was pruning, and had a bulge mid section, I assume a mouse. I asked it to let me finish pruning and it did, but later I called the Indian and he brought his grandchildren to fetch it and carry it off to a dry creek bed. They had no problem picking it up and my son said he would do the same. Was Dan correct about the cross breeding?

I wrote a story about it but my naturalist husband says I'm wrong. Thanks. I appreciate your public service.

Answer
Pictures for this sort of thing work much better. I am unaware of any rattlesnake which has longitudinal stripes. Rattlesnakes have dorsal blotches and/or banding, not stripes.

The snake you described may have been a Ribbon snake. Go to the following link and check the pictures. I doubt it had a real rattle. This sounds like a joke was played on you, or the snake had a tail injury that made it look that way.  

http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/

You're Indian friend in wrong. Generally, two snakes of different genus cannot hybridize. There are rare hybridization between venomous and venomous, or non-venomous and non-venomous, but a viviparous species cannot hybridize with an oviparous one at all. The Gophersnakes, or as we call them here in Texas - Bullsnakes, are not viviparous. They are oviparous. So, you're friend is either all wrong, or is playing quite the joke on you.