Rattlesnakes are among the most venomous in the world. The venom of the Brazilian rattlesnake claimed 75 lives, out of 100 people bitten. However, a rattlesnake is not always dangerous and scary. Photos, videos presented in our article will tell you about all this.
Of course, the use of a special serum significantly reduces these numbers of victims, but the fact remains that the Rattlesnake is very dangerous and it is still better not to disturb it.
It cannot occur to many that these reptiles have a very timid character. Everyone imagines them as creatures waiting for the right moment to bite and inject their deadly poison. The rattlesnake stings only in cases of self-defense, when it thinks it is in danger.
There are 32 species of rattlesnakes in the world. The most famous is the diamond one, which is a giant of this species. In length, it reaches more than 260 cm. There are also horned and the most poisonous - dwarf ones. Despite their modest size (no more than 60 cm in length), their venom acts extremely quickly and is the most powerful of all rattlesnake venoms.
The rattlesnake is a desert dweller. Most rattlesnakes live in the semi-desert and desert regions of Mexico and the southern United States. Their diet consists mainly of mice and rats. But they are excellent hunters of frogs, lizards and small birds.
The rattlesnake moves in a peculiar way, making loop-like crawling movements. This allows her to move quickly across the sand without sinking or getting stuck in it.
Rattlesnakes only attack when they sense danger. This is especially true for a person. But before the snake attacks, it will shake its rattle, making a frightening sound. If this does not help, then the snake may pounce.
If the warning and the first, frightening attack are not enough, then only then will she use the poison.
Listen to the voice of the rattlesnake
The rattle consists of strong keratinized skin rings. The older the snake, the more impressive its rattle will be, as a new connection is formed during molting.
Do you know...
- The Brazilian rattlesnake has the strongest venom.
- When the rattlesnake feels threatened or worried, shakes the rattle up to 40-60 times per second.
- The rattle is made of keratin. It is made up of human nails and hair.
- Many rattlesnakes often share housing with other snakes.
- Rattlesnakes are immune to their venom.
- There is a kind of rattlesnake (Katalinski), which does not have ... - a rattle.
- In the wild, a snake's rattle usually consists of 14 rings, and snakes living in a zoo have 29.
The rattlesnake is one of the most dangerous reptiles, whose venom can quickly kill a person. There are many rumors about her.
In this article, we will take a closer look at what it is and where you should be on the alert to avoid an unwanted meeting with it.
What does it look like and why is it called that?
A rattlesnake in the broadest sense of the term refers to the entire subfamily of pit vipers. They are called pitheads because of the two heat-sensitive pits between the eyes and nostrils. 
By the way, with a rattle on the tail, making a rather loud rustle, there are only 2 types of rattlesnakes: real and dwarf.
Did you know?Sometimes, in panic attacks, the pit viper begins to bite everything around, including itself, but its own poison is not dangerous for the reptile itself.
Features of the appearance of rattlesnakes are as follows:
- reptiles within the subfamily can differ both in coloring of almost all colors of the rainbow and patterns (rarely rattlesnakes are completely the same color), and in length, which varies from 0.5 m (ciliated viper) to 3.5 m (bushmaster);
- the pattern is mainly formed by intertwined thick stripes or rhombuses;
- the head of these representatives of reptiles is wedge-shaped with small eyes and two long hollow poisonous teeth;
- the pupils of rattlesnakes are vertical;
- thanks to heat-sensitive dimples on the muzzle, the snake in the dark recognizes the prey well due to the temperature difference between the prey and the environment. These receptors are able to detect a difference of 0.1 °C.
- at the end of the tail there are ring-shaped cornifications, which, as mentioned above, are not capable of producing a perceptible sound in everyone. The "rattle" in rattlesnakes is formed during molting. The skin peels off the body and, curling up into a ring, remains at the tip of the tail. So, segment by segment, the reptile's ratchet grows. Over time, the number of segments will develop in such a way that there will be enough rings in the rattle to make a characteristic sound. Gradually, some rings fall off, and others appear in their place. The cornifications are hollow inside and freely rub against each other, which gives rise to their characteristic sound. It is because of this feature that the subfamily of pit vipers was called rattlesnakes.
Is a bite dangerous: the effect of poison on a person
The bite of a rattlesnake is considered extremely dangerous to humans. It is difficult to predict how the poison will affect a particular person, since many factors affect the result, ranging from the site of the bite (the closer to the brain, the more dangerous) and ending with the psychophysical state of the victim.
If the toxin enters the bloodstream, it can lead to anaphylactic shock, kidney failure, difficulty breathing, internal bleeding, and death. Only in the USA, from 10 to 15 people die on average per year (you should take into account the prevalence of the antidote in those states where rattlesnakes live).
Among the common first aid mistakes is trying to decontaminate a wound with alcohol, which actually backfires. Alcohol dilates the blood vessels, and the poison is absorbed faster. Amputation of the bitten limb may also fail.
Important!The only real treatment is the administration of snake venom serum.
When bitten, do the following:
- First of all, the affected person should be removed away from the place of attack in order to prevent subsequent bites.
- Call an ambulance or go to the medical center yourself, where they can help.
- The victim of a bite should move as little as possible, as this raises body temperature, which will only aggravate the situation.
- Remove any jewelry or clothing that may constrict the limbs.
- Wash the wound with water.
- The bite area is best kept below the level of the heart.
- If available, inject anti-snake serum yourself.
The rattlesnake itself is cowardly and does not attack if there is an opportunity to escape. Where does the rattlesnake live
Pitheads live in very different conditions. There are species that live in desert or mountainous areas, in the jungle, there are even several aquatic representatives.
Rattlesnakes are most widespread in Southeast Asia (69 species) and in North and South America (106 species). Cottonmouths can be found in both hemispheres of the Earth, including the Far East and Central Asia.
The eastern muzzle lives in Japan, China and Korea, and the Himalayan is found at altitudes up to 5000 m above sea level. The habitat of rattlesnakes also includes Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Indochina, Java and Sumatra.
Rattlesnakes are active at night, also to avoid heat burn. Often they hide in the holes of small rodents, under fallen trees or under stones. 
Before the onset of cold weather, reptiles come out of their shelters to bask in the sun. Pregnant snakes do this especially often. Most wintering species prefer to gather in the same place with their own kind in order to simplify heating during hibernation.
Did you know?Rattlesnake can die at ambient temperatures above +45 ° C.
What does it eat
Rattlesnakes are predators by nature. They feed mainly on small rodents, although birds, frogs, lizards, small snakes, rabbits, grasshoppers, cicadas and even fish are also present in their diet.
Pitheads infect prey with poison, acting from an ambush. At the moment before the attack, the neck of the reptile bends in the shape of the Latin letter "S", and the muzzle is directed towards the victim. The length of the throw, as a rule, is about a third of the length of the body.
It feeds on average once a week, consuming prey equal to half its own weight. 
Who prey on the snakes themselves
The natural enemies of rattlesnakes are hawks, vultures, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, ferrets, some large snake species (for example, mussurans), hedgehogs, weasels, and martens. This is due to the fact that the poison of the pitheads does not act at all or has little effect on these animals.
Also, animals that eat rattlesnakes include pigs, through whose subcutaneous fat poisonous teeth make their way very hard. Even California running cuckoos can become a threat to the population.
And the most dangerous enemy for the described reptiles, of course, is the man himself, who hunts them because of the skin. And in some states of the United States and in the countries of Southeast Asia, snake meat is considered a delicacy and is in demand.
reproduction
In April-May (that is, after wintering), these snakes mate. Often the seed is stored in the female until the next season. Most pitheads are viviparous, but there are many species that lay eggs.
In a litter, depending on the species, there can be from 2 to 86 cubs. In ten-day-old snakes, for the first time, the skin is shed in such a way that a "button" is formed in the tail. 
The female will be ready for the next mating in 2 years.
Rattlesnakes are dangerous representatives of their family, capable of killing a person when attacked. However, they rarely attack people and only when they feel threatened themselves, preferring to run away in most cases.
If you follow simple safety rules in the area where rattlesnakes live, you can avoid meeting these unusual predators.
Rattlesnakes are easily recognizable animals. There are 32 known species of rattlesnakes that live in the Americas. Rattlesnakes are mostly found in arid and desert rocky areas, but they can also be found in forests, prairies, and swampy habitats.
The main threats to the survival of rattlesnakes are habitat loss and organized killing (extermination) by people because of the fear of these creatures. In addition, many rattlesnakes die in road accidents. The forest rattlesnake and the reed rattlesnake are listed as endangered species in need of protection.
Interesting Rattlesnake Facts:
The size of a rattlesnake depends on its species. The largest species can reach 8 feet. On average, rattlesnakes grow to a size of 3 to 4 feet in length.
Rattlesnakes are not very bright because they like to camouflage themselves in their environment. They are usually black, brown, olive or grey.
Rattlesnakes have a triangular head and vertical pupils. Their name comes from a special device resembling a rattle located at the end of the animal's tail. This device is built from keratin (the same substance that underlies the nails and hair in humans).
"Rattle" is growing continuously. A new segment is added each time the snake sheds its skin (a couple of times a year). The rattling sound tells the predator to stay away from the snake. When a rattlesnake is frightened, it can attack without making a rattling sound.
Rattlesnakes are poisonous snakes. They produce a very strong hemotoxic poison (a toxic substance that destroys blood cells and blood vessels). It is used for hunting and protection from predators. Rattlesnake bites are fatal to humans unless treated immediately with antivenom.
Rattlesnakes sometimes bite without releasing venom. These types of bites are known as "dry bites".
Some snakes are immune to rattlesnake venom. Due to this feature, the king cobra is the main predator of rattlesnakes.
Rattlesnakes are carnivores (meat eaters). They usually prey on rats, mice and small birds.
Rattlesnakes have a special kind of thermal receptors that are used to detect warm-blooded creatures (their prey). They can also locate prey using their sensitive tongue, which picks up scent molecules from the air. In addition, the rattlesnake senses the vibration of the earth.
The optimum temperature for rattlesnake survival is between 27 and 32 degrees Celsius. They can withstand freezing temperatures, but temperatures above 38 degrees are lethal to them.
The rattlesnake hibernates during the cold season. Usually a large number of rattlesnakes gather in underground lairs and coil around each other in order to keep warm.
Rattlesnake, rattlesnake belongs to the subfamily Rattlesnakes or Hollowheads (Crotalinae) of the Viper family. It’s worth clarifying right away that the subfamily Rattlesnakes is very numerous and includes more than 170 species. However, only two genera of snakes in this subfamily have a rattle at the end of the tail: the True rattlesnake (Crotalus) and the Pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus). It is about them that we will talk.
Where does the rattlesnake live?
The rattlesnake can be found mainly in North America. There it lives in dry deserts among low bushes, as well as in rocky areas near rivers and lakes. The rattlesnake settles in rodent burrows, which it expands if necessary. Can live in shelters among stones.
Appearance and biological features
The body length of a rattlesnake is usually 60-80 cm, but there are species about 1.5 m long. The color of the scales of the snake is dark gray with brown and black spots and stripes, but again, the pattern can vary greatly from species to species. The belly is yellowish with dark speckles. The head of a rattlesnake is triangular in shape. On it, between the eyes and nostrils, there are several thermoreceptor pits. They are very sensitive to infrared radiation and help the snake to detect the victim due to the difference in ambient temperature and body temperature of the victim itself. Due to the presence of these pits on the head of a rattlesnake, the subfamily to which it belongs was called the Pitheads.
Rattlesnakes can only see up close. Their eyesight and hearing are poor. But they are very sensitive to vibrations of the earth, air and heat. The small nostrils of a rattlesnake perceive odors well. In addition, the snake is able to catch them with its tongue, which has special sensitive receptors.
rattlesnake rattle
The most important and main distinguishing feature of the rattlesnake is the rattle at the end of the tail or ratchet. What is this device and why is it needed? The rattlesnake rattle is a skin formation consisting of several horny plates very similar to cones. These cones are slightly flattened and empty inside, and they are interconnected in such a way that they can move freely and rub against each other. It is due to the friction of the horn plates that the rattlesnake emits a characteristic rustling.
The rattle on the tail of a rattlesnake is formed as follows. During molting, the skin on the tail does not completely peel off, and its remnants roll up, forming a ring (cone). Many believe that the number of these rings can be used to determine the approximate age of a rattlesnake. However, such calculations will be very inaccurate, since a rattlesnake can molt more than once a year, and the next segment on the rattle is not always formed after each molt. In addition, rattlesnakes often lose their rattles from their tails, breaking them off in narrow crevices between rocks. After which they have to grow again.
There is an opinion that the rattlesnake is very dangerous, aggressive, tenacious and fast as lightning. This is not entirely true. And, as usual, on the site "" we will destroy interesting myths and tales about animals, replacing them with scientific facts.
In fact, the rattlesnake is rather cowardly and, having met a large animal or person, it never attacks first, preferring to remain unnoticed. And the rustling of a rattle on the tail does not mean at all that she is preparing for 
attack. This indicates that the rattlesnake has been taken by surprise and is very nervous. The snake, as it were, warns that it does not want to go into conflict, but if it is disturbed, then it will certainly defend itself. But when a rattlesnake hunts, it does not betray its presence in any way and rushes at the victim without warning.
By the way, the speed of her body movement during the throw is greatly exaggerated. She rushes at the victim a little faster than the average person punches.
And she's not that survivable. For example, a temperature of 45 ° C can be fatal for her.
But the venom of a rattlesnake is really very dangerous, and can be fatal to humans. The bite of a rattlesnake is so strong that with its teeth it can easily break through durable leather shoes. However, these circumstances are mitigated by the fact that the rattlesnake lives mainly in an uninhabited desert area, where a person often does not need to walk and where it is not difficult to notice a snake. The rattle of a rattle will always warn you that you have invaded a rattlesnake's territory.
There is also an interesting fact about the "suicide" of a rattlesnake. A wounded rattlesnake that senses doom is believed to attempt suicide by biting itself. Indeed, being in a panic, the rattlesnake seems to go crazy, starts to bounce and bite everything that is around it, even its own body. However, her own poison is not dangerous for her.
What does a rattlesnake eat?
Rattlesnakes living in captivity refuse to eat for a long time. Cases are known when snakes 
starved for more than a year and did not even pay attention to the rats and mice running nearby. Under natural conditions, she eats once a week, eating food weighing half her own weight. Consumes small mammals, amphibians and birds. Hunts them at night, attacking from an ambush.
Quite often, rattlesnakes themselves become food for mammals, birds, and even fish. Ferrets, martens, weasels, eagles, peacocks, crows eat snakes, since their poison has a very weak effect on them. Also in the media there was information about how one California fisherman caught a trout, in the stomach of which there was a rattlesnake 60 cm long.
Domestic pigs are also not afraid of rattlesnake bites. A thick layer of subcutaneous fat protects the blood vessels, and the snake's venom cannot enter the bloodstream. And the pigs themselves are also not averse to eating a rattlesnake. Farmers take advantage of this feature and release a herd of pigs into the field before plowing it.
It will be interesting to watch a short video that was filmed by eyewitnesses who accidentally met a rattlesnake on their way in a mountainous area. From a safe distance, the snake does not look aggressive, but a loud hissing puts unusual pressure on the psyche and scares people away.
She is the heroine of many Hollywood films. To be recognized, she does not even have to appear in the frame entirely, it is enough for the sound engineer to turn on a characteristic sound that vaguely resembles maracas, as the viewer gets chills from the realization that this is a rattlesnake.
viper relative
One of the most poisonous reptiles is a direct relative of vipers. The rattlesnake is in the list of the viper family, it belongs directly to the subfamily of poisonous, pit viper snakes. Scientists gave this nickname to the subfamily due to the presence of a special organ located in the recess between the eye and the nostrils.
It allows a cold-blooded predator to "see" the prey by the heat emanating from it. In other words, a rattlesnake can lie in wait for its prey in absolute darkness and attack when it suspects nothing.
Description
To date, scientists have discovered 224 species of snakes, called rattlesnakes, or rattlesnakes. In length, they can reach from fifty centimeters to three and a half meters. The pattern on the scales can also have all sorts of shades and patterns. Often they are colored in contrast and do not try to disguise themselves.
The head of the vast majority of species is triangular in shape. In the mouth, there are necessarily two almost hollow poisonous teeth. The pupils of the eyes are vertical. Recesses (pits) are located near the nostrils, in which there are receptors for changes in ambient temperature, for which they are referred to the subfamily of the pit-headed. They owe the name of their species to another feature of their body structure. The tail of these snakes is crowned with a rattle. This is an outgrowth of exfoliated scales, which makes a rattling sound when it vibrates, but not all representatives of this species have it.
The secret of the rattle
The rattlesnake, as already mentioned, has a ratchet at the end of its tail. For some time it was not clear why the snake, hunting in the dark and not making a single sound, was suddenly endowed with such a natural unmasking remedy. But everything falls into place if you know exactly who she is hunting. Its diet consists of small mammals and birds. She just warns large animals (including humans), making noise with her rattle. Thus, it can be considered the most humane of the poisonous snakes.
This outgrowth at the end of the tail consists of dead scales. Their number increases with each change of the skin of the reptile. Therefore, by counting the scales on the rattle, you can find out how long the snake has lived. The inside of the rattle is completely empty, which is why the sound is so sonorous.
Lifestyle and range
According to herpetologists, 106 species of rattlesnakes (photos of some representatives are presented in the article) settled in America, and 69 - in South Asia. The most common of the pitheads are muzzles. They live both in desert regions and in mountainous areas. The lifestyle may vary depending on the subspecies. Some hunt and spend most of their time in the trees. For others, it is easier and more convenient to crawl along the plain, and for others, give rocky ledges and peaks.
When the ambient temperature rises, rattlesnakes hide under stones, logs, escaping from excess ultraviolet radiation. Activity is shown with the onset of twilight. True, in this mode they live only in the hot season. On a fine, non-hot day, rattlesnakes move in the sun.
Once having chosen a hole for itself, a rattlesnake can live in it for many years, and after that, its descendants. Several individuals can live in a rattlesnake's lair. In the hibernation season, they can be woven into a ball all together, warming each other. But some still prefer loneliness.
Rattlesnakes hunt exclusively in ambush, lying in wait for prey (rodents, small birds, fish, frogs, lizards, caterpillars and cicadas). As soon as potential food comes within throwing distance, the snake attacks by grabbing it with its teeth, injecting venom, and then devouring it whole. During the day, the rattlesnake relies on vision (the object must move), and at night it accurately determines the size and distance to the victim using receptors under the eyes. They help to distinguish the slightest temperature changes up to three thousandths of a degree.
Human danger
The bite of a rattlesnake is very dangerous for humans, but it rarely comes to this. The snake first warns of its presence with a ratchet on its tail, and if the person behaved incorrectly, that is, provoked it, then a throw follows. They are very shy, and the fear of the pit snake develops into aggression. Therefore, when you hear the noise of a rattle, you should freeze and slowly move away from the creature in the opposite direction from it.
If the snake has bitten, then you need to call an ambulance, and raise the bitten limb up. In no case should you pinch the bite with a tourniquet or try to suck out the poison. Its juice destroys the cells of the body. Anyone who sucks it risks ingesting poisonous substances and dying from anaphylactic shock faster than the victim.
With an increase in population and in direct proportion to a decrease in space for reptiles, seasonal rattlesnake infestations are observed in the United States every year. But according to the statistics of the United States, 3-4 people die out of 8,000 victims per year.
