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Rattlesnakes
Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes of the genera Sistrurus and Crotalus within the subfamily Crotalinae. There are about 30 rattlesnake species, with many subspecies. Rattlesnakes have a tail rattle that creates a buzzing sound when threatened.
752 Questions
Is it illegal to kill rattlesnakes in North Carolina?
Two of the three species found there, eastern diamondback, and timber rattlesnakes are protected.
What are the types of rattlesnakes in Colorado?
As far as I know, there are two types of rattlesnakes in Colorado on the front range: the western diamondback and the western or prairie rattler. Neither are particularly aggressive (I've stepped on a western diamondback and not been bit) but both are dangerous and should be avoided. I'm not sure what kinds there are in the high country or the western slope. I'm assuming the western diamondback and maybe the timber rattler.
The above answer is actually incorrect for the most part. There are no Western Diamondbacks in Colorado and Westerns are one of the most aggressive of the Croatalus. The species in Colorado are the prairie rattlesnake (croatalus veridis veridis), and the faded midget rattlesnake (croatalus concolor). The prairie rattlesnake can be found to elevations above 9000' and pocesses a myotoxic venom with a LD50 (leathal dose 50) value of around 1100 micrograms per kilogram body weight. The LD value is a measure of toxicity where if you lined up 10 mice of the same body mass and injected them with equal vollumes of venom, 50% would die. The faded midget has a highly neurotoxic venom of, if I recall correctly, is around 50 to 100 micrograms per kilogram body weight and is found in the Dinosaur National Park area. A cousin of the rattlesnake is also found in south eastern Colorado, the western massasagua (Sistrusus catanatus edwardsii). I do not recall the LD50 value of it's venom.
I'm not questioning either answer above, as I'm not an expert (nor do I really know anything!) however I'm providing a link to the Colorado State University site that says that there are Western Diamondbacks throughout Colorado and the Massasagua in the SE. Again, I don't know, just providing an additional data source from some folks that are indeed experts. Finally, I almost stepped on a rattler today while on a run just outside of Boulder Colorado (Superior). It looked like a Western Diamondback to me.
How did they treat a rattlesnake bite in the 1800s?
In the 1800s, the standard snakebyte treatment was to cut the wound and suck blood out of the wound to extract venom. Other methods were to give the patient a lot of alcohol, apply a poultice of tobacco, and use hartshorn or its active chemical, ammonia. In practice, none of these methods were really effective, but most survived both the bite and the treatment, because most snakes aren't venomous, and most venomous snakes generally do not inject venom when they do bite. Venom is important for the snake to catch food, and they don't waste it on things they aren't going to eat.
Found this diary account from way back when:
Rattlesnake bites received instant and odd treatments. A pioneer woman of the Texas Plains wrote about a her sister being bitten. Immediately, the mother grabbed a baby chick, ripped it open and put the warm meat against the wound. As the meat cooled she used another chick handed her by the sister. She said the poison from the wound turned the chick flesh green. When there were no more chicks, she made a tub of mud and kept the leg in that. When the father got home, they gave the little girl some whiskey. She recovered from the bite in a few weeks and suffered no ill effects.
There were a number of "remedies" for snake bite in the 1800s, before the advent of antivenenes.
- Frontiersmen believed that to put gun powder on the bite and set it alight would burn the venom right on out.
- Ammonia was a common remedy through the 1700s and 1800s. many people took to carrying a small bottle of ammonia when they ventured into rattlesnake country, which they could apply to the bite.
- A very painful but common remedy was to get a knife and cut out as much of the wound and (hopefully) the poison as possible.
- A poultice was sometimes applied, which could be made of a variety of materials, such as bark and gunpowder.
- There was even a belief that drinking a great quantity of whiskey would counteract the snake poison: what they didn't realise was that alcohol only speeds up distribution and absorption of snake venom.
For more details on the nature of poultices, and apothecary remedies, see the link below.
Is a rattlesnake a predator or prey?
It can be both. All snakes are predators but they can fall prey to other animals such as eagles and other snakes.
Why do you think the bird populations decreased sharply after the rattlesnakes were eliminated?
If the birds ate the rattlesnakes, their only source of food would disappear. This would cause the birds to starve to death.
When do rattlesnakes hibernate?
Yes,sometimes (snakes living in warmer tropics and subtropics has been seen to remain active throughout the year.) they do. Cold has a narcotic effect on them. As we all know snakes being cold blooded,their body temp changes with the outer ambient temp.Extreme cold thus could stop all the enzymatic activities which in turn could hamper all vital bodily metabolic processes essential for sustaining life on earth.That's why snakes undergo hibernation (a practical dead like state with lowest of metabolic activity) until and unless the period of stress or cold is over.
Population of timber rattlesnakes in state of Connecticut?
It's hard to determine exact numbers, but it is an endangered species there.
What state has the most rattlesnakes?
Arizona has the most species of rattlesnakes at 13. Texas ranks number 2 at 10 species.
What is the reproduction of a rattlesnake?
The male injects sperm into the female's cloaca. The eggs inside the female are fertilized by this sperm and are incubated inside the female's body until the young are ready to emerge to the outside world.
How loud is the pygmy rattlesnakes rattle?
It depends on the species. The larger ones like the diamondbacks and timber rattlers can be heard from fifty feet away, while the tiny pygmy rattler is audible from a few feet.
In what part of the desert do the sidewinder rattlesnakes live?
Sidewinders generally prefer the lower, sandy regions of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.
Why do rattlesnakes bite without venom?
The main purpose of the venom is to obtain food so rattlesnakes do not want to waste it on defense. They will sometimes give a dry bite as a simple warning to "back off."
How long for a rattlesnake to refill the venom sacs after a snakebite?
It depends on how much venom was used in the bite. Snake venom takes time to replace, and they only use enough venom to subdue their prey. Replenishing can take anywhere from a few minutes to a day.
What is a baby rattlesnake called?
Well it depends... do you want to call it monty, or maybe winston. I would go personally with little elvis. Or just lame things like slimy or scaley. or my personal favorite Baby Python. Now go find your life cause you suck at it.
What can you give someone who has the death rattle?
Atropine sulfate drops sublingually, scopolamine transdermal patches, robinul subcutaneous injections, or HYOSCYAMINE sublingual tablets can be used to dry the secretions that cause the "death rattle."
Where is the habitat of the rattlesnake?
In the desert,plains , Forests, Backwater wetlands, Highland Mountains even can be found in cedar Trees.
Rattlesnakes are a Diverse Animals with Many Habitats and diverse homes.
They are found in almost every state in the USA.
There are 32 species.
Rattlesnakes are native to the Americas. They can be found from Southwestern Canada in North America to the Central Argentina in South America. They can be found in almost every type of habitat that can be found in these areas. The habitats include Prairies, Marshes, Deserts and Forests. They prefer open rocky areas where they can hide from large predators and identify plentiful prey like rodents, lizards etc that live amidst the rocks.
Pine flat woods, open woods, desert, swamps.
Does a snake get a rattle every time it sheds?
No, it grows a new segment to its rattle each time it sheds.
