All About Rattles

The rattle is made of a substance called "keratin," similar to human fingernails. At birth, a rattlesnake has only a single button at the end of its tail. As the snake grows, another loosely interlocking segment is added each time it sheds its skin. Many people believe that a snake's age can be determined by the number of segments on its rattle. Actually, a healthy rattler might shed its skin and add another segment to its rattles as often as four times a year. To complicate the picture, a few or even all of the segments can break off from time to time. Rattlesnakes in captivity usually grow longer rattles than wild individuals because the string of segments is less likely to broken--up to 20 segments compared to the usual 7 to15 for wild specimens. Long strings are sometimes faked for collectors by piecing together the rattles of several snakes.

What is the purpose of rattling? There has been much controversy among scientists over the nature and purpose of the rattle. Rattlers do not rattle when they are pursuing their prey, nor do they rattle as part of their mating ritual. The rattlesnake vibrates its tail almost always from a coiled position, the impressive stance it takes when it feels threatened. If you have ever walked near a coiled rattler, you probably noticed that the intensity of its rattling increased as you approached closer. Like most creatures, snakes become more nervous and tense as danger nears.

Long before men appeared in the Americas, the coiling and vibrating of the rattle-tipped tail effectively warned large animals to keep their distance. Unfortunately, the rattlesnake could not alter its ancient habit when humans invaded its domain. So, what evolved as an effective survival tactic now readily reveals the snake's presence to an enemy who can capture it or kill it from a safe distance with weapons. Instead of helping the animal survive, the rattlesnake's rattling might now be a factor leading to its extinction. Many other species of snakes, especially non-venomous snakes, rattle their tails in dry leaves to warn that they are holding their ground in self-defense.

Although totally harmless, rattles are sometimes more effective than fangs. If a grazing animal such as a cow inadvertently approaches a rattler, the snake is in danger of being trampled. A bite might not be sufficient to stop the huge, oncoming beast instantly, so the snake could still get squashed. On the other hand, a harmless warning buzz from the snake's rattle might make the cow take notice and change direction in time to save the snake. Also, it is important for a snake to save its limited venom supply for hunting, so strikes are made at non-prey animals only as a last resort when a snake feels very threatened.

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