Title/short summary
The rattlesnake lives in many places and habitats throughout the Western Hemisphere including deserts, plains and mountains. There are 24 different species of rattlesnake, and its average lifespan lasts anywhere from 10 to 20 years. A rattlesnake’s diet usually consists of lizards and small rodents including mice, rats, squirrels or rabbits. It measures around 5 to 6 feet long and approximately 5 pounds and often takes several years to mature. Natural predators of rattlesnakes include crows, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, roadrunners, king snakes and more.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the rattlesnake start with the kingdom Animalia and subkingdom Bilateria. Then it moves to the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata …show more content…
They smell both through their nostrils and the flicking of their tongues which carries particles to an organ called the Jacobson’s organ in the roof of their mouths. Rattlesnakes don’t have any ears, but they are able to sense vibrations in the ground that translate to the auditory nerve. The rattlesnake’s fangs are connected to venom glands near the back of the head. When the rattlesnake bites, they contract their muscles on the sides of the venom glands which allows the venom to travel into the fangs. The venom of a rattlesnake destroys tissue and disrupts blood clotting, and some rattlesnakes’ venom can even cause paralysis. The rattlesnake’s venom is made of 5 to 15 different enzymes, ions, lipids, amino acids, polypeptides and proteins, and contains components designed to immobilize or disable prey and break down tissue for future ingestion. The rattlesnake’s rattle is a warning device for predators who may threaten the snake. It is composed of several hollow, interlocked keratin segments. Muscles in the tail contract causing the segments to vibrate against each other making the rattle which is then amplified because the segments are hollow. Every time a snake sheds its skin, a new rattle segment is added to its …show more content…
Rattlesnakes have two organs that sense radiation of living organisms: their eyes and a set of heat-sensing pits on their head. These pits allow the rattle snake to locate prey based on their thermal radiation signature. Although the effective working range of these pits only extends 1 foot, it gives the rattlesnake a large advantage hunting for warm-blooded creatures during night. The thermal radiation of a warm-blooded creature enters through the opening of the rattlesnake’s pit in the form of a wavelength light, strikes the membrane and warms the back wall of the organ. These cues are then transmitted to the brain by a nerve called the trigeminal nerve which is then used to create a thermal image of the snake’s surroundings. Although these images may be low in definition and clarity, the snake can also use visual images from their eyes to create a clearer picture of their surroundings. It is a miraculous technique God has given the rattlesnake in order to hunt during the
The rattlesnake lives in many places and habitats throughout the Western Hemisphere including deserts, plains and mountains. There are 24 different species of rattlesnake, and its average lifespan lasts anywhere from 10 to 20 years. A rattlesnake’s diet usually consists of lizards and small rodents including mice, rats, squirrels or rabbits. It measures around 5 to 6 feet long and approximately 5 pounds and often takes several years to mature. Natural predators of rattlesnakes include crows, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, roadrunners, king snakes and more.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the rattlesnake start with the kingdom Animalia and subkingdom Bilateria. Then it moves to the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata …show more content…
They smell both through their nostrils and the flicking of their tongues which carries particles to an organ called the Jacobson’s organ in the roof of their mouths. Rattlesnakes don’t have any ears, but they are able to sense vibrations in the ground that translate to the auditory nerve. The rattlesnake’s fangs are connected to venom glands near the back of the head. When the rattlesnake bites, they contract their muscles on the sides of the venom glands which allows the venom to travel into the fangs. The venom of a rattlesnake destroys tissue and disrupts blood clotting, and some rattlesnakes’ venom can even cause paralysis. The rattlesnake’s venom is made of 5 to 15 different enzymes, ions, lipids, amino acids, polypeptides and proteins, and contains components designed to immobilize or disable prey and break down tissue for future ingestion. The rattlesnake’s rattle is a warning device for predators who may threaten the snake. It is composed of several hollow, interlocked keratin segments. Muscles in the tail contract causing the segments to vibrate against each other making the rattle which is then amplified because the segments are hollow. Every time a snake sheds its skin, a new rattle segment is added to its …show more content…
Rattlesnakes have two organs that sense radiation of living organisms: their eyes and a set of heat-sensing pits on their head. These pits allow the rattle snake to locate prey based on their thermal radiation signature. Although the effective working range of these pits only extends 1 foot, it gives the rattlesnake a large advantage hunting for warm-blooded creatures during night. The thermal radiation of a warm-blooded creature enters through the opening of the rattlesnake’s pit in the form of a wavelength light, strikes the membrane and warms the back wall of the organ. These cues are then transmitted to the brain by a nerve called the trigeminal nerve which is then used to create a thermal image of the snake’s surroundings. Although these images may be low in definition and clarity, the snake can also use visual images from their eyes to create a clearer picture of their surroundings. It is a miraculous technique God has given the rattlesnake in order to hunt during the