rattlesnake

(also called ‘rattler’)

a kind of snake – reptile (= animal that crawls on land) – venomous (= has poison in its bite) – nocturnal (active at night) – cold-blooded (= the body temperature depends on the  weather; ‘cold-blooded’ is the old name, the advanced name is ‘ectothermic) – belongs to the ‘pit viper’ family of snakes – medium-sized with round body covered with brown, grey, black with tones of yellow, cream, rust, olive or light pink scales, different patterns – bands, diamond shape, or blotches, or without any pattern, triangular head, two ‘pits’, holes, on either side of the head to receive heat messages from the other animals, forked tongue, two hollow fangs with which to inject venom, a rattle at the end of the tail with which to make a rattling sound; size: on average, 2-4 feet long and weight: 500 grams to 1 Kg. – the smallest: (the ridgenose rattlesnake) 2 feet in length and only 120 grams in weight; the largest: (the eastern diamond back rattle-snake), on average 4 feet, but can grow to 8 feet in length and 2-5 Kg. in weight); feeds on rodents – rats, mice, etc., and other small reptile – lizards, etc; lives for 18-30 years; about 30 species with many sub-species, found in North, Central and South America

[A group of rattlesnakes is called a ‘rhumba’.]

Special Features:

The ‘timber rattler’ (rattlesnake) is the state reptile of West Virginia, USA.

The rattling feature of the rattlesnake is the rattle at the tip of its tail, which is a horny part with which it makes a sizzling rattle when threatened or startled.

The rattle is a series of nested hollow beads which are nothing but modified scales of the snake!  The rattle grows as the snake sloughs ( = moult or sheds off its old skin to get new skin as it grows), but the rattles may break off accidently.

All rattlesnakes have ‘rattles’, but the exception is the ‘Santa Catalina Island rattlesnake’ which is without a rattle!

Rattlesnakes are one of the few snakes that give birth to live young; they do not lay eggs.

Rattlesnakes are known to hibernate (= go into a deep sleep-like state during the coldest period) in their dens in harsh cold weather.

Some people eat rattlesnakes!  Some keep them as pets!!

Rattlesnakes are also kept on farms for their venom (poison) used in the anti-dote for the snake bites!!!

The most dangerous rattlesnake is the Mojave rattlesnake and the least venomous is the sidewinder (‘sidewinder’ = a species of rattlesnake that moves by sliding sideways).

Figures of Speech:

bang/fuck/root like a rattlesnake {not to be used in formal situations} [said of a person who has sex with more vigour and enthusiasm]

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