by Rattlesnake With Sound-Warping Trick
Rattlesnakes live in many places and habitats in the Western Hemisphere, from mountains to deserts and plains. There are more than 24 rattlesnake species and all of them have that most-famous feature: the rattle! The rattle is found at the tip of the rattlesnake’s tail. The snake uses the rattle to ᴡᴀʀɴ potential ᴀɢɢʀᴇssᴏʀs to back off or to distract ᴘʀᴇʏ. The famous rattle noise comes from the sound created when hollow and bony doughnutlike segments in the rattle bang together.
Feared as ᴅᴇᴀᴅʟʏ and ᴀɢɢʀᴇssɪᴠᴇ, diamondbacks are actually highly averse to human contact and only ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ in defense. Most Bɪᴛᴇs occur when humans taunt or try to ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀᴇ or ᴋɪʟʟ a rattlesnake. They can accurately sᴛʀɪᴋᴇ at up to one-third their body length. Diamondback ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ is a potent ʜᴇᴍᴏᴛᴏxɪɴ that ᴋɪʟʟs red ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ cells and causes ᴛɪssᴜᴇ ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇ. Bɪᴛᴇs are extremely ᴘᴀɪɴꜰᴜʟ and can be ꜰᴀᴛᴀʟ to humans. However, antivenin is widely available throughout the snake’s range, and Bɪᴛᴇs rarely result in ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ. Mᴀᴛɪɴɢ usually happens between mid-summer and early fall. Young are born between August and October. Litter size is proportionate to the size of the female. Smaller snakes may give birth to as few as 5 young, larger mothers as many as 25 young. Mᴏʀᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ rates are high in the first year. Pʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀs include mammalian ᴄᴀʀɴɪᴠᴏʀᴇs, raptors and king snakes. As rattlesnakes age, segments on the end of the rattle wear out and break off. New segments grow when the rattlesnake sheds its skin, or molts. Like other snakes, rattlesnakes don’t have ears and can’t hear most sounds. They detect movement by sensing vibrations in the ground. Their eyes see well even in low light. The rattlesnake’s triangular head contains a hollow spot between the eyes and nostrils called a pit. This pit is actually a sensory organ that helps the rattlesnake ʜᴜɴᴛ in darkness by detecting body heat.
Snakes are also ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ by ᴘᴏʟʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ, human ᴘᴇʀsᴇᴄᴜᴛɪᴏɴ and steady habitat ᴅᴇɢʀᴀᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴ and fragmentation. When their habitat overlaps with human landscapes, such as vineyards, orchards, golf courses, campgrounds or hiking trails, they tend to be of poorer body condition than snakes that inhabit relatively natural environments.
