Renowned rattlesnake expert dies after he's bitten by a rattlesnake

A respected snake researcher has died after he was bitten by a Timber rattlesnake.

William H. "Marty" Martin died on August 3, one day after he was bitten by a captive Timber rattlesnake on his property in Harper’s Ferry, W.V., said his wife, Renee Martin, according to the Associated Press.

Martin, 80, had been making significant discoveries about snakes for decades, the outlet noted.Sealy told the AP that Martin was known throughout the snake expert world for his field work and research — and for his ability to find and document a species that is hard to locate.

"They’re extremely secretive animals," Sealy said of snakes.

Martin continued to make arduous mountain hikes to document and count snake populations in remote sites despite his advanced age. 

That's according to Joe Villari, who manages the Bull Run Mountains Preserve in northern Virginia, and who shared that with the AP.

Villari would often accompany Martin to remote mountain snake dens several times a year. "He was in his 80s, and he was hard to keep up with," said Villari.

Timber rattlers tend to avoid humans, Villari told the AP, and are known to be docile and often won’t bite even if they’re accidentally stepped on, he said.

Rattlesnakes can be more dangerous if they grow to a size that allows them to inject more venom.

"They save their venom for their prey," he said.

Martin’s passion for snakes was lifelong, the AP noted.

As a boy, he found a population of Timber rattlers in the Bull Run Mountains that was previously unknown — and convinced a herpetologist to come out and verify his find.

VIA: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/west-virginia-rattlesnake-expert-dies-bitten-timber-rattlesnake