Everyone knows that sound. That very indistinguishable sound of a pissed of rattlesnake. The rattlesnakes rattle is known throughout the animal kingdom It’s known by all species as a sign of: If you don’t back off ill bite you. Rattlesnakes are the number one cause of death by snakebite in the United States. An average of 5.5 people die in the U.S. by rattlesnakes per year and the average demographic is 17 to 27 year old males. Fortunately, that death rate isn’t higher do to medical advances and anti-venom. Now don’t get me wrong, every single rattlesnake bite has been from self-defense and no rattlesnake just goes around biting people because they can. They are a very reserved animal that would want nothing to do with humans but if they feel
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There are a total of 30 species of snakes that have all formed this very unique appendage at the end of their tail and create this notorious and distinct sound. They are North and Central American based typically you’ll find most species of rattlesnakes in southwestern United States and Mexico. Southern Arizona is specifically home to 11 different species of rattlesnakes. One of the most notorious being the Western Diamondback (Crotalus Atrox). Having the Second most potent venom only to the Eastern Diamondback (Crotalus Adamanteus). But each species has their own quirks to them yet they’re all fairly similar. A majority of them look similar to exclude a few that are totally unique with their color. Although they all share the similar appendage on their back …show more content…
Some of their senses are similar to the reptilian bretheran, such as their eyes and the Jacobson’s organ. Their eyes are fairly simple and pretty inefficient. With all rattlesnakes having vertically arranged pupils that makes them only really useful at night which indicates that they are primarily nocturnal. So the snakes tongue is designed to work with the Jacobson’s organ to create smell for the snake to smell the surrounding area. The way it works is when a snake sticks its tongue out and points its twin tips in the air it collects molecules in the air, then the snake brings it back into its mouth and inserts the tips into a specialized organ embedded into the roof of its mouth. This is the Jacobson’s organ; it’s directly linked to the brain by a branch of olfactory nerve – similarly to our nostrils to our brain. Another useful feature is the rattlesnakes’ pits. Similarly, to their close relatives the Pit Vipers are nostril like features on the side of their face which allows them to sense heat very accurately. These pits are so accurate that they can sense temperature changes less than .4 degrees Fahrenheit from close range. Having this ability can allow the rattlesnakes to have extreme accuracy on locating its prey. Because the snake has two pits and they are so widely spread apart they can easily have depth and tell how close or how far their prey is away from
There are a total of 30 species of snakes that have all formed this very unique appendage at the end of their tail and create this notorious and distinct sound. They are North and Central American based typically you’ll find most species of rattlesnakes in southwestern United States and Mexico. Southern Arizona is specifically home to 11 different species of rattlesnakes. One of the most notorious being the Western Diamondback (Crotalus Atrox). Having the Second most potent venom only to the Eastern Diamondback (Crotalus Adamanteus). But each species has their own quirks to them yet they’re all fairly similar. A majority of them look similar to exclude a few that are totally unique with their color. Although they all share the similar appendage on their back …show more content…
Some of their senses are similar to the reptilian bretheran, such as their eyes and the Jacobson’s organ. Their eyes are fairly simple and pretty inefficient. With all rattlesnakes having vertically arranged pupils that makes them only really useful at night which indicates that they are primarily nocturnal. So the snakes tongue is designed to work with the Jacobson’s organ to create smell for the snake to smell the surrounding area. The way it works is when a snake sticks its tongue out and points its twin tips in the air it collects molecules in the air, then the snake brings it back into its mouth and inserts the tips into a specialized organ embedded into the roof of its mouth. This is the Jacobson’s organ; it’s directly linked to the brain by a branch of olfactory nerve – similarly to our nostrils to our brain. Another useful feature is the rattlesnakes’ pits. Similarly, to their close relatives the Pit Vipers are nostril like features on the side of their face which allows them to sense heat very accurately. These pits are so accurate that they can sense temperature changes less than .4 degrees Fahrenheit from close range. Having this ability can allow the rattlesnakes to have extreme accuracy on locating its prey. Because the snake has two pits and they are so widely spread apart they can easily have depth and tell how close or how far their prey is away from