Pictures of the Year International

Children Observing Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox) at the Sweetwater Jaycee's Rattlesnake Round-Up, Texas Kids watch as hundreds of Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox) are accumulated in a pit during the annual Sweetwater Jaycee's Rattlesnake Round-Up. Many of the snakes later die from decapitation, while others succumb to the weight and asphyxiation within the pit. Started in 1958, the Sweetwater Jaycee's World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up is hosted annually at the Nolan County Coliseum in Newman Park, Sweetwater, Texas. Hundreds of snakes are captured from the wild, sold to the Round-Up, and accumulated in pits. After measuring, sexing, and extracting venom from the snakes, they are killed for their skins, which are sold along with the meat and some organs. Texas, USA, March 13th, 2020.