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That's why we put all our great pet stuff in one place. In fact, some scientists believe the rattle originally might have been a way to keep bison from stepping on the camouflaged snakes. Predators may be listening in on that communication, too. With a mouthful of venom capable of destroying skin and blood cells, it might be tempting to think that rattlesnakes are immune to predators altogether. But nothing could be further from the truth. Scott Boback , an evolutionary ecologist at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, uses remote cameras to study rattlesnakes as part of an experiment called Project RattleCam.
Murphy frequently encounters rattlesnakes while studying their interactions with other predators, such as bobcats, foxes, and coyotes. She says there are a few easy rules for staying safe.
Do not handle them, obviously. Maintain a distance of at least six feet and resist the urge to move nearby branches or other bits of habitat so you can get a good picture. All rights reserved. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. They can be found in the swamplands of the Southeastern United States and in the meadows of the Northeast.
These snakes can handle high elevation and are found everywhere from sea level to 11, feet 3, m , according to the San Diego Zoo. Rattlesnakes spend some time in dens, which they make in rocky crevices. Those in colder climates hibernate there for the winter. According to the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department , generation after generation of rattlesnake will use the same dens. The San Diego Zoo reported that they sometimes use the same den for more than years.
Upon leaving their dens, they like to sun themselves on rocks and other open places. Though they are not nocturnal, in the hot summer months they may be more active at night.
Despite their venom, rattlesnakes are no match for king snakes, which are fond of putting them on their dinner menus, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. In addition to rattling and hissing, rattlesnakes exhibit other defensive behaviors. Babies are born live, encased in a thin membrane that they puncture after being born. Ratters mate in the spring and summer, depending on the species, and, according to the Denver Zoo, males may engage in combat.
Mothers can store sperm for months before fertilizing the eggs, and then they carry babies for about three months. They only give birth every two years, usually to about 10 baby rattlers.
They lie in wait until a victim comes along, and then strike at speeds of five-tenths of a second, according to the San Diego Zoo. Their venom paralyzes the prey, which they then swallow whole.
If you opened up a rattlesnake's rattle and shook it, absolutely nothing would fall out. After all Narrator: That's herpetologist Tim Colston. He says the secret to that rattling sound comes from the shell itself. It's made of keratin, the same hard substance as your fingernails. The keratin is arranged in a chain of interlocking rings , which are hooked together by tiny grooves along their edge. Now, watch what happens to those rings when Colston shakes the rattle.
Colston: Whenever I shake them really fast, they bump together, producing a sound. Narrator: Because the rattle is hollow inside, sound waves can bounce off the walls and echo — the same way shouting in a cave amplifies the sound. And the bigger the "cave," or hollow rings in this case, the more amplification, so the louder the rattle. But a big, hollow chamber can't get the job done on its own.
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