Woman spots rattlesnake slithering across lake

While out kayaking with her boyfriend, Cathy Salazar saw what she thought was a stick.

She whipped out her camera, and before long, she realized it was a rattlesnake.

"Coming out of one of the inlets we saw Mr. Snake," Salazar, a resident of Folsom, California, told KTXL.

She said it looked like it was slithering through the water.

Snake researcher Mike Caldwell told KTXL that it's peak rattlesnake season right now.

He says this time of year the snakes are out hunting and looking for mates.

Almost every reported rattlesnake bite has been the reptile's act of defense against a person who intruded upon its personal space.

So what was a snake doing slithering across a lake like a scene straight out of your worst nightmares?

"We're not sure why they take to the water, other than sometimes to escape predators. The only time I've seen rattlesnake swim is to get away from me," Caldwell told the station.

Salazar told KTXL she tried to stay far away from the snake — a good choice, according to the researcher's report.

"I just hope it made it all the way across without getting creamed by a boat," Salazar said.