Rattlesnake

Genera Crotalus & Sistrurus

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about rattlesnakes. Be sure to slither over that subscribe button to keep up with new episodes! There are around 30 species of rattlesnakes, and they are natively found in the Americas. Most people know them for their iconic rattle tipped tail, but the rattlesnake’s reputation needs a little bit of recalibrating.

Like the grey wolves we’ve discussed previously, human misconceptions of these snakes have skewed our perception. Sure, rattlesnakes seem intimidating with their chunky bodies, hissing mouths, and rattling tails, but that’s just a defensive posture. A rattlesnake would much rather run away from a human than have to go through the trouble of attacking one.

Most rattlesnake bites occur because people attack first in an attempt to kill the snake, and even when people do receive a dose of rattlesnake revenge, it’s rarely fatal. The best thing a person can do when encountering a rattlesnake is to simply walk away slowly and leave the snake alone. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about how cool these creatures really are!

Rattlesnakes can be found in deserts, grasslands, swamps, and they’ve even been found miles out at sea. The time of year can determine when rattlesnakes are active. During the summer, they’ll venture out at night; throughout other parts of the year, they become more diurnal - unless it’s too cold, then they snuggle up and snooze. Most people don’t see reptiles as the cuddly type, but some rattlesnakes having been cozying up for generations. During winters in colder areas, rattlesnakes will enter a den with sometimes hundreds of their kin including other snake species. It’s thought that the rattlesnakes find these dens using scent trails left by their ancestors with some dens potentially used by multiple generations. They’ll stay there until the weather gets warmer, at which point they’ll usually seek out a mate.

Depending on the species, rattlesnakes may only reproduce every couple of years, and it can be one to four years before their ready to breed. Rattlesnake mamas will actually carry their eggs around for about three months until their babies hatch and are born live. There may be a handful of baby rattlesnakes to dozens depending on the species.

The kids are pretty much on their own from the start and will seek out food in the form of lizards. As they get older they might move on to mice, frogs, and even birds and rabbits in some species! Rattlesnakes, like cottonmouths, come with a pit organ that allows them to pick out prey items in the dark as well a venom to immobilize their prey. That doesn’t necessarily keep them out of harm’s way, though - there’s even one snake species, the kingsnake, that finds rattlesnake to be a delicacy.

If they can avoid harm, a rattlesnake may live to be more than two decades old depending on the species. Some people believe that it’s possible to determine the age of a rattlesnake by counting the rattles on its tail, however, this is inaccurate. While it’s true that a rattlesnake will grow a new tail segment each time they shed, a rattlesnake may shed multiple times throughout the year; plus, the rattle doesn’t always remain in tact as parts can be broken off throughout the snake’s lifetime.

For more facts on rattlesnakes, check out the links in the description. Give a thumbssssss up, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.