RATTLESNAKE
FACTS
- The
Sonoran Desert has more species of rattlesnakes (11) than anywhere else
in the world
- They
are one of the most highly specialized organisms
- Fangs
are like retractable hypodermic needles
- Venom
breaks down blood and/or paralyzes nerves, useful for subduing prey
and beginning the digestive process (and warding off threats)
 Rattlesnakes
use many senses
- Eyes
for seeing when there is sufficient light
- Pit
Organ for "seeing" at night or when there is insufficient
light (this is how they get their name -- pit viper). The pit organs
appear as holes located between each eye and the mouth and they
sense heat (infrared radiation). They act as infrared goggles that
military personnel use at night.
- Nostrils
for smelling
- Jacobson's
Organ for augmenting smell. It is located on the roof of the mouth
and interprets chemical scents delivered to it by the forked tongue.
Each fork of the tongue actively collects chemicals from the ground
and air and brings it to the respective side of the Jacobson's Organ.
This allows the snake to determine which direction the prey was
traveling.
- Body
feels ground vibrations, allowing the snake to "hear"
animals approaching
- Rattlesnakes
give birth to live young that already have a "prebutton" on
the end of their tail and are venomous (don't be the one fooled by the
curio shops selling rattlesnake eggs)
-
 A
new segment is added to the rattle after each shedding of the skin,
and rattlesnakes shed their skin more or less often depending on many
factors (e.g., food intake, temperature, etc.); therefore, one cannot
determine the age of a rattlesnake by counting the rattle's segments.
The rattle rattles as segments brush against one another (not like
a kid's rattle that has something inside).
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