What Are Some Special Abilities or Features of the Rattlesnake?
There are 30 species of rattlesnakes in the world and all live in the western hemisphere, with the majority found in the United States, Central America and Mexico. Their habitats are mainly scrub brush, grasslands, swamplands, rocky hills, deserts and meadows. Rattlesnakes are venomous, belong to the Viperidae family of snakes, and fall into one of two genera: Sistrurus and Crotalus.
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Rattler
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Rattlesnakes get their name from the rattle located at the end of their tail -- a feature unique to these types of snakes. The rattle is made of loosely attached segments that are hard, hollow and made of keratin -- similar to the composition of human fingernails. New segments are added each time the snake sheds.
Pit Vipers
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Rattlesnakes are referred to as pit vipers because they have heat-sensing pits used to detect warm-blooded prey. The pits are located on both sides of the head roughly between the eye and the nostril. The heat-sensing pits allow the rattlesnake to detect temperature differences down to a fraction of a degree.
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Meals
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Rattlesnakes eat every two weeks, depending on the size of each meal, and seek prey only when they are hungry. A smelling organ in the roof of the mouth, known as the Jacobson's organ, allows the rattler to pick up odor particles on the ground. Young rattlesnakes eat more frequently -- about every week. Fangs inject venom into the prey that consists mostly of rabbits, ground squirrels, mice and rats.
Live Births
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Rattlesnakes are ovoviviparous, meaning they do not lay eggs like most North American snakes. The female retains the eggs inside her body and gives birth to five to 20 live baby rattlers at one time. Baby rattlesnakes are, therefore, born fully-formed.
Hibernating Young Rattlers
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Young rattlesnakes leave their mothers when they are a few weeks old. However, for winter hibernation, young rattlers will follow the scent trail of their mother and hibernate in the same den. According to the San Diego Zoo, some dens have been used for over 100 years. Rhumba is the name for a group of rattlesnakes.
Largest Rattlesnake
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The largest venomous snake in North America is the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Weighing up to 10 lbs., the snake can reach a length of 8 feet and has the ability to accurately strike at up to one-third of its body length. Bites can be painful and fatal to humans but antivenin is available throughout the diamondback's range, according to the National Geographic website. Bites often occur when humans try to capture or taunt them. Their lifespan in the wild ranges from 10 to 20 years.
Self-Defense
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The San Diego Zoo reminds us that rattlesnakes bite in self-defense. Rattling their tail is one way they warn an enemy, as well as hissing and puffing up their tails. Rattlesnakes will try at first to hide or escape. Some species may remain still depending on their coloration and camouflaging abilities, while others will glide away. However, they may strike quickly under certain circumstances, such as when they are mating, giving birth or starting to shed.
Warning
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If bitten by a venomous snake, seek quick medical treatment at a hospital. Few bites are fatal but that should not be assumed, and bites should not be left untreated. Baby rattlers can be more dangerous than adults because they are not able to control the amount of venom they inject.
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References
- Photo Credit rattlesnake image by Michael Shake from Fotolia.com
