Mississippi
‘I was amazed by it.’ Rattlesnakes fighting captured on video in Mississippi
‘I’ve never seen it before. It was definitely unique to watch. It’s probably at the top of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.’
Rare video of three rattlesnakes fighting taken by Mississippi man
Video of three rattlesnakes fighting.
Provided by Paul Rhodes
A man from Mississippi said he sees hundreds of timber rattlesnakes each year, but what he came across on Tuesday afternoon while working at his home was nothing short of amazing.
“I was cutting my grass,” said Paul Rhodes of Como, a small town about 45 minutes South of Memphis. “We have a trail that goes back to a deer stand and I keep it cut.
“They were out there in the middle of the lane out in the wide open. There were two of them when I first saw them.”
What he saw was two timber rattlesnakes fighting and it was something he’d never seen before. He didn’t have his phone with him, so he just watched. After a few minutes, he decided to go get his phone to shoot video and when he returned, the event became even more unusual.
“When I came back and started recording, a third one came into the frame,” Rhodes said. “From what it sounds like, seeing three of them together is pretty rare.
“I was amazed by it. I’ve never seen it before. It was definitely unique to watch. It’s probably at the top of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.”
From beautiful to freakish: Here are 4 of the most bizarre snakes found in Mississippi
Letting rattlesnakes do what rattlesnakes do
After shooting video, Rhodes went back to work and that’s when he noticed something else unusual.
“I drove the mower right by them and they never checked up,” Rhodes said. “They paid me no attention.”
Rhodes said he finished mowing and came back. The snakes were still fighting. At some point, he said the largest snake crawled away, but two continued to fight. Rhodes said he decided to leave and let them fight it out without him.
“I had a lot of people say, ‘Why didn’t you kill them,’” Rhodes said. “They were just doing their thing in their environment.”
And that environment seems to be full of them. Rhodes said where he lives, timber rattlesnakes are basically a part of daily life.
“We see hundreds and hundreds a year,” Rhodes said. “They’re just everywhere.”
What kind of snake is that? Ten of the more common you’ll likely see in Mississippi
Why do rattlesnakes fight?
Rhodes said when he first saw the snakes, he thought they were mating, but as he watched he determined the behavior was too aggressive. Colt Mooney, a Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks biologist with extensive knowledge of reptiles, confirmed Rhodes’ thinking.
“People often confuse it for mating, but it’s not,” Mooney said.
What Rhodes captured on video was male snakes establishing dominance for breeding rights. Mooney said timber rattlesnakes and other Mississippi pit vipers primarily breed during August through fall, so this is when most of fighting takes place. He said the snakes don’t hurt each other, they’re just trying to prove who’s the boss.
“I call it full-body thumb wrestling since they don’t have arms,” Mooney said. “The first one to tire loses.”
The snakes ignoring Rhodes isn’t uncommon. Mooney said when they’re fighting, snakes are totally focused on the battle and basically oblivious to what’s going on around them. He said what is uncommon is witnessing three of them in combat. For Rhodes, it was unusual enough that he isn’t likely to forget it.
“It will stay with me a long time,” Rhodes said. “It was definitely unique and cool to watch.”
Mississippi venomous snakes: How to identify them and what to do, and not do, if bitten
Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Mississippi State baseball beats Cincinnati 10-5, moves within one win of regional title – SuperTalk Mississippi
Tomas Valincius struck out 10, Ace Reese and Kevin Milewski homered, and Reed Stallman knocked in three runs to lead Mississippi State to a 10-5 victory in the winner’s bracket game of the Starkville Regional on Saturday night.
The top-seeded Bulldogs (42-17) managed early behind another standout performance from Valincius, who allowed two runs over 7.1 innings to earn his 11th win of the season.
Valincius was supported offensively by Reese’s solo home run in the first inning, a run two-seed Cincinnati (38-21) responded to in the second to tie the game at 1-1. The Bulldogs broke open the game with three runs in the fifth inning, then followed with four more in the sixth and two more in the seventh to build a 10-1 lead.
As part of the surge, Stallman knocked in three runs on two doubles, Gehrig Frei hit a two-run single, Bryce Chance drove in one, and Milewski hit a two-run shot. Vytas Valincius, Tomas’ brother, crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
Cincinnati worked to chip away late, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The Bearcats scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth before Mississippi State reliever Ben Davis limited the damage by getting the final outs to end the ballgame.
Mississippi State is now just one win away from winning its first regional championship since 2021 – the same year the Bulldogs won the College World Series. Mississippi State will play the winner of Sunday afternoon’s elimination game between Cincinnati and Louisiana at 7 p.m. If Mississippi State drops the game, a winner-take-all final will be played Monday.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi State got a dominant performance from Tomas Valincius and a 13-hit offensive performance to defeat Cincinnati 10-5 on Saturday night at Dudy Noble Field, moving on the the Starkville Regional Championship.
The Bulldogs broke open a tight game with a three-run fifth inning before adding four more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Reese gets it started
Ace Reese started the scoring with a solo home run to center field in the first inning, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. Cincinnati answered in the second when Christian Mitchelle doubled to shallow left, scoring Enzo Infelise to tie the game at 1-1.
Bulldogs score three in the fifth
Mississippi State scored three runs in the fifth inning, beginning with an RBI infield single from Bryce Chance to shortstop that scored Jacob Parker. Gehrig Frei followed with an infield single to second, plating Reed Stallman and Kevin Milewski to push the lead to 4-1.
Four more in the sixth
Mississippi State added four more runs in the sixth. Stallman delivered an RBI double to left to score Parker before Valincius crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Cincinnati’s Alex Gonzalez. Two batters later, Milewski launched a two-run homer to right field, stretching the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-1.
Stallman extends lead in the seventh
The Bulldogs extended the lead in the seventh when Stallman ripped a double to right, scoring Noah Sullivan and Parker for a 10-1 advantage.
Cincinnati added two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, making the final 10-5.
Valincius dominates on the mound
Valincius worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out 10 and walking two. He threw 112 pitches and recorded his 10th strikeout before exiting in the eighth inning. Maddox Webb took over after that and walked two batter. Ben Davis closed the game for State, pitching 1 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two.
Offensive leaders
Mississippi State finished with 13 hits.
Stallman led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two doubles. Chance collected three hits and drove in a run, while Frei finished with two hits and two RBIs. Reese added his first-inning homer, and Milewski’s two-run blast highlighted the sixth-inning surge. Parker scored three runs.
Up next
The Diamond Dawgs now head to the Starkville Regional Championship, where they will face the winner of the Cincinnati and Louisiana elimination game. State will only need one more win to advance to a Super Regional.
Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.
Copyright 2026 WLBT. All rights reserved.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program announced Saturday that contestants competing for the title in 2026 will be eligible for the organization’s largest scholarship offerings in its 77-year history.
Contestants will be eligible for more than $105,000 in scholarships and prizes, including $32,500 in direct cash scholarships.
The winner of the competition will receive a $10,000 cash scholarship, tuition scholarships, travel opportunities and a total prize package valued at $27,000. The first alternate will receive a cash scholarship of $6,000, the second will receive $3,500, the third will receive $2,500 and the fourth will receive $2,000.
During Saturday’s announcement, the Advisory Board of the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program also revealed that the winning cash scholarship will be named for Bonnie Warren.
Warren has spent decades supporting tourism, hospitality and economic development efforts across Mississippi. She also helped move the Miss Hospitality Program from Starkville to Hattiesburg in 1998 and has remained one of its strongest advocates.
The theme for this year’s Miss Hospitality will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The competition will take place July 17-18 in Hattiesburg. Tickets will go on sale in two weeks.
The Miss Hospitality Program was founded in 1949.
Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Copyright 2026 WDAM. All rights reserved.
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour agoMan found stabbed to death in Huntington Park
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoDetroit Grand Prix father-daughter volunteers help make winner’s circle moments shine
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoTony Vitello just lost the only Giants allies he has left
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoFatal crash on LBJ Freeway in Dallas leaves 1 dead, multiple people hospitalized, police say
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoDeputies searching for 2 men accused of shooting man during attempted robbery in SW Miami-Dade
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoFriend of Worcester woman killed in Virginia I-95 crash ‘cannot believe she is gone.’ – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver hockey’s Johnny Hicks wins DU Pioneers’ Male Athlete of the Year
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoVikings stealing Nolan Teasley from Seahawks might be even worse than it appears
