September 30, 2022 • 23 mins
Amazing Wildlife is examining a species that oftentimes gets a bad rap, the rattlesnake! Hosts Rick and Ebone debunk myths about these predators and explain how to spot a rattlesnake and their defense mechanisms that are not intended to hurt humans. Through questions from our young listener, you’ll discover cool facts about rattlesnakes (which, surprisingly, are good swimmers) and why we need them.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hi, I'm Ebany Mona and I'm Rick Schwartz. Welcome to
Amazing Wildlife, where we explore unique stories of wildlife from
around the world and uncover fascinating animal facts. This podcast
is a production of My Heart Radio and San Diego
Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in international nonprofit conservation organization behind the
San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. This next animal lives
(00:26):
in grasslands, forests, swamps, and deserts and is a capable swimmer.
This viper is a well known predator that often gets
a bad rap. Today we're talking about the rattlesnake. Rick.
With thirty six different species of rattlesnakes and more than
(00:47):
double as many subspecies, how does one identify a rattlesnake. Well,
I'm happy to answer that, Ebony, but first I want
to acknowledge that for many people, snakes are a scary object.
And if you're someone who doesn't like snakes or they
just flat out give you the hebe gebs. I hope
you keep listening because my goal here today is to
(01:09):
give everyone a chance to learn how truly fascinating these
reptiles are, and maybe, just maybe, by the end of
this episode, you might have a newfounder respect for these
sensational surpentines. Now back to answering your question, Ebony, how
does one identify rattlesnake? I think it's fair to say
most people would think it's obvious to identify it by well,
(01:31):
it's rattle. But as we have discussed in other episodes,
sometimes in nature there is an exception to the rule.
And what I mean by that is rattlesnakes don't always rattle,
or if you can see them, it's possible you may
not be able to see the tail and therefore not
see the rattle. So what else sets rattlers apart from
other native species of snakes. Well, rattlesnakes tend to be
(01:52):
wider in the body and have a more pronounced triangular
shape to their head. But honestly, my advice to everyone is,
if you are not snake expert, it's best to give
every snake their space by keeping a safe distance. That
sounds like great advice, and advice I would have no
trouble following. So it can be so impressive when people
(02:12):
are really familiar with wildlife, and so familiar that they
can actually spot subtle differences to identify different types of
wildlife or different species Besides the rattle? Are there other
ways to know you're probably looking at a rattlesnake. When
it comes to rattlesnakes, there are a few things that
(02:33):
I look for beyond the tail. But again I cannot
stress enough ebony. If you come across the snake, just
give it some safe space. Don't try to get close
enough to look for these details. No problem, Okay, already
said that straight now, Depending upon where you're seeing the snake,
most rattlers have blotched coloration with dark diamonds, hexagons, or
rhumbuses on a lighter background, usually a gray or light round,
(02:55):
but some can have various shades of orange, pink, red,
or green. Another thing that rattlesnakes have that non venomous
snakes that might look similar to them don't have are
the heat sensing pits below their eyes. These look like
a larger pair of nostrils. They also have vertical slits
for their pupils that look similar to cat's eyes pupils.
But please, again I have to say, don't get close
(03:16):
enough to verify this. So here's a bit of a riddle.
Rattlesnakes are known for their rattles but not all rattlesnakes
have rattles. Why are some rattlesnakes rattle less? Yes, E
Beneth the exception to the rule that I was hinting
out earlier. Rattlesnakes are not born with their rattle in place.
(03:39):
The rattle will start to develop and grow as a
snake grows in sheds. It is also possible for a
rattle to be broken or even broken all the way off,
so it is best not to assume a snake with
no rattle is not a rattlesnake. And since we're talking
about ways to identify a rattlesnake, I want to mention
that if any of our listeners are curious to learn
(03:59):
more about the best ways to identify a species of
rattlesnake in their area, open up your favorite search engine
type and how to identify a rattlesnake and in place
your state's name in the search. Also, that way, your
local county or state's page to identify the species will
come up and give you specific information for your area.
That's great advice. I would have never thought of that.
So Rick. The word rattlesnake alone can just freak a
(04:23):
lot of people out and and fill them with anxiety,
possibly because they don't have experience dealing with snakes. So
Rick now might be a great time to dispel misconceptions.
Good idea, Ebony and I completely agree and respect the
fact that a lot of people are uncomfortable when it
comes to snakes, and so I think first and foremost,
(04:44):
I want people to understand that although we have this
fear of them, rattlesnakes are not purposely trying to get you.
More often than not, they are just as surprised and
scared of you as you are of them. When we
encounter rattlesnakes, it's usually because we have ound our way
into their native habitat, or we live close enough to
their native habitat that are parks or yards that seem
(05:05):
like suitable places for them to look for food sources.
And keep in mind, they do not eat large animals.
Rattlesnakes rely on their venom to catch their prey, usually
smaller animals like lizards, birds, rodents, and other small mammals. Therefore,
they would rather not waste their venom defending themselves. That's
why they have their rattle. They rattle to warn larger
animals to stay away. They're trying not to be hunted
(05:28):
or stepped on, and that loud rattle is their way
of trying to scare away something that might be dangerous
to them. They will strike if they perceive there's no
other way to defend themselves, but honestly, given a chance,
most rattlers would rather leave you alone and be left alone.
It's good to know. So. Reptiles, including snakes, are commonly
(05:48):
referred to as cold blooded. I hear that often. What
does that mean exactly? Does that mean that they're actually
physically cold to the touch or deliberately cruel? But I
think you answer that's funny of you. I've never thought
of it as possibly meaning that they are deliberately cruel,
but I can see how that might be one of
the ways to interpret that, especially the way some people
(06:09):
feel about snakes. And I can say, without hesitation, the
answer is no to both versions of your question. They
are not usually cold to the touch nor deliberately cruel.
So let's get into this little bit because it is
kind of interesting. The term cold blooded can be a
little misleading. You see, mammals like us are considered warm blood,
meaning our body will regulate our temperature. If we are
(06:31):
too hot, our body will automatically start to perspire without
us having to think about it, in an effort to
regulate our temperature by keeping us cool. And if we
get too cold, our body will start to shiver in
an effort to warm us up with a rapid muscle movement. Again,
we don't choose to do this, our body doesn't naturally.
These are just two ways to show how our body
self regulates temperature, but in general we maintain our own
(06:53):
body temperature through our metabolism. Therefore, being a warm blooded
animal is more accurately called being an do thermic animal
endo meaning within and therm meaning heat or temperature. When
we look at snakes and other reptiles, the term cold
blooded is used because their bodies do not regulate their temperature.
If they get too hot, they need to find a
(07:13):
way to cool off in their environment, so they'll choose
something like a burrow or the shade under a bush
or a tree. If they get too cold, they need
to find a source of warmth, like basking in the sun. Therefore,
a more accurate term for cold blooded is ecto therm
ecto meaning outer and external and therm again meaning heat
or temperature. Rick, I think I might know the answer
(07:34):
to this at this point, but I'm still going to ask,
just to drive the point home. Are rattlesnakes temperamental in
any way? As in will they strike anyone or anything
that may get too close or process path? I think
it's still a fair question, and we've kind of answered it,
but let's get into this a little more. I mean,
just imagine, but you're out and about in a lush
(07:57):
tree line park, minding your own business, enjoy the warmth
of the sun, when all of a sudden, a massive
giant with feet as big as trucks comes out of
nowhere and heads right for you. The odds are you
would be scared for your life. You would most likely
try to run away if possible, or yell and scream
to let the giant know that you were there and
do not want to get stepped on, Or if you
(08:19):
had no other option, you might do whatever you could
to defend yourself. Rattlesnakes are the same way. Their primary
defense mechanism is to try to get away and hide.
If that doesn't work or isn't an option, they will
rattle and hiss in hopes to warn or scare away
whatever it is that might or could hurt them. If
the threat doesn't back away or avoid them, or if
(08:41):
they are being stepped on, well, they can definitely bite,
and because they have venom for hunting their prey, a
defensive bite can also deliver venom. Rick some people have
the idea, there's an idea of floating around that baby
rattlesnakes are even more dangerous than adults. Is there any
truth to this? Yeah, it's a common myth and honestly
(09:04):
there's more myth to it than fact. And hear me
because I know some people will argue this point, but
here's what science tells us. Somewhere in the history of
humans moving into rattlesnake habitats, this myth of baby snakes
releasing more venom than adults because they have no quote
unquote control over how much venom they release was started
as we became more involved with rattlesnake territory. But the
true research shows that bites from baby rattlesnakes are typically
(09:27):
less dangerous because they have less venom to inject, their
smaller their glands or smaller, so the bite delivers less venom.
And to be clear, It doesn't mean that they aren't dangerous,
because they are dangerous, just a little bit less dangerous. Now,
with that said, younger rattlesnakes can be more hazardous because
they're small and harder to see. Additionally, they are born
(09:48):
without a rattle. It can take several weeks before the
first bits of a rattle start to develop, so their
ability to warn others that they are there is also
not very effective at first. Gotcha. Now there's another myth,
and this one I have personally heard, and that is
that people are born hardwired to fear not just rattlesnakes,
(10:11):
but all snakes. Is this true or false? It kind
of skews towards true. This is the innate fear of
the note rope, as the Internet calls them. I can
stay with my own experience. Some people definitely seem to
be more afraid than others. Some seem more curious than afraid,
where others will jump and run from a stick that
(10:33):
just looks like it might be a snake. Interestingly enough,
there was a group of researchers in Germany and Sweden
who decided to find out if people were born with
a fear of certain wildlife by testing a segment of
the population least likely to have learned this fear, babies.
When the babies saw pictures of the snakes, and they
also tested spiders, they consistently reacted with larger pupils than
(10:57):
when they were shown control images such as flowers and fish.
This finding, published in the Journal of Frontiers and Psychology,
suggested that a fear of these creatures could indeed be innate,
or a fear basically that humans are born with. And
that's because the dilated pupils are associated with an activity
in the nora genergic system of the brain, the same
system that processes stress. Now back to rattlesnakes being ectothermic.
(11:23):
They come out during hot weather because people seem to
think that they love the heat. Is this true, Well,
yes and no, and you're right. It just goes back
to our discussion earlier aboutping ectothermic, which of course means
their temperatures are regulated by outside temperatures. So at night,
the temperatures tend to cool down in the desert areas
(11:44):
or just about any region rattle snakes can be found,
and so does the snake's body temperature. Then, therefore, when
the morning sun starts to warm up the ground and
surrounding environment. Well, guess what Snakes will emerge from their
sleeping area to warm up, and this is when they
start doing their basking in the sun. But they can't
handle really hot temperatures very well, so usually once they
have warmed up, they spend their day looking for food
(12:07):
and seeking out opportunities to keep their body in sort
of an environmental temperatures between seventy and ninety degrees fahrenheit. Okay,
So here is another common perception that we have a
chance to possibly dispel. Is it true that rattlesnakes always
rattle before they strike? Unfortunately, Ebony, they do not. And
(12:29):
when we look at the evolution of rattlesnakes and what
they evolved in parallel with it, it makes sense why
they do not always rattle before striking. You see all
snakes here approaching animals by detecting vibrations through the ground
and substrate that they are sitting on. So rattlesnake rattles
when it hears or picks up on these vibrations of
an approaching animal. Well, prior to massive human populations coming
(12:51):
into rattlesnake territory, rattlesnakes lived alongside bison, elk, moose, and
other large wildlife. They evolved to be amongst these large animals. Well,
rattlesnakes can easily detect an approaching bison, which can easily
weigh a thousand to two thousand pounds, and being able
to detect that bison's footsteps the rattle or can give
an early warning to rattle saying watch out, don't step
(13:13):
on me. Unfortunately, rattlesnakes are less likely to feel the
approaching footsteps of a pound human and even less likely
to detect approaching footsteps of a child. Thus, humans have
greater chances of sneaking up and surprising a rattlesnake in
this kind of situation. If the rattlesnake is surprised and
feels threatened, it may strike in self defense right away
instead of giving a warning rattle. Rick. Here's another idea
(13:37):
that has been floating around, and this one I haven't heard,
and that is that rattlesnakes some people believe are not
reptiles because they don't lay eggs. Is that true? And
if they're not reptiles, then what would they be? Well
that's an interesting one, ebony, because the idea that all
(13:57):
reptiles must come from eggs that haven't been laid in
the nest or burrow is a little inaccurate. In the
case of our friend the rattlesnake, the female actually carries
true eggs inside her belly. She incubates them inside her
body for around ninety days before giving birth to live young,
So essentially, the eggs will hatch inside of her and
then the young come out. This is no one as
(14:18):
being obviviparious. When a baby rattlesnake is born, it comes
out fully developed and ready to start life on its
own without any maternal care. I would imagine that there's
some survival benefits to that, considering we've learned in earlier
episodes that reptile eggs can sometimes be vulnerable to threats,
it does make sense. Yeah, and that's kind of when
(14:40):
we talk about how certain species have evolved to deal
with certain predators. You're right, Is it possible that the
rattlesnakes have evolved to keep their eggs in them to
prevent smaller mammals like rodents and rats that do live
in those same areas from raiding those nests and getting
those eggs. Something we can follow up, I think so.
So it's been fun to clear up some of the
myths and even debunk some falsehoods. Now, let's go in
(15:03):
a different direction and find out how rattlesnakes help the ecosystem. Oh, absolutely,
they are very important. It as predators of rodents and
other small mammals that can potentially spread disease or become
a problem if they overpopulate. Rattlesnakes help keep the ecosystem
in balance. For example, a recent study by a team
of University of Maryland biologists made it clear that the
(15:26):
timber brattlesnake indirectly benefits humankind by keeping lime disease in check. This,
of course, is because snakes eat the small mammals that
ticks live on, and those ticks carry and spread lime disease.
Just ahead, we'll find out what a young listener wants
to know about rattlesnakes. Ripple answer her questions coming up
(15:47):
right after this. Now, it's time for the San Diego
Zoom Minute, an opportunity for you to learn what's new
at the zoo exciting baby news. This year, the San
Diego Zoo welcomed the birth of a ringtailed lemur infant
at the Africa Rocks Madagascar forest habitat. The female infant
(16:10):
was born the first time lemur mother Rendra. Both mother
and baby have been doing really well as a youngster grows.
There are more than one species of lemurs, all native
to the island of Madagascar, and all considered threatened or endangered.
The ringtailed lemur is easily recognized with its big eyes,
wooly gray fur, and long black and white ring tail.
(16:31):
Did you know the rattlesnake's triangular head contains a hollow
spot between the eyes and nostrils called a pit. The
pit is actually a sensory organ that helps the rattlesnake
hunt and darkness by detecting body heat. Today, we've learned
(16:57):
a lot about the rattle snake, and now we have
questions from a young listener. Violet wants to know. I
heard people say that brettest snakes are poison nous, and
I heard people say that weird snakes are venomous, And
isn't that the same thing? Ah, yes, Violet, we do
(17:21):
hear those terms being used interchangeably, don't we. But there
is a difference. When we're talking about animals that are venomous.
We are talking about an animal that when it bites
you or stings you, it injects or places venom into you,
like a rattlesnake. When we're talking about animals that are poisonous,
we're talking about an animal that if you touch them
or eat them, you can get sick or have a
(17:42):
very bad toxic reaction, like a poison dart frog. One
way I like to remember the difference is by thinking
about the old fairy tale of snow White. The wicked
witch gives her a poisonous apple, not a venomous apple.
Snow White bites the apple and got sick from eating it.
The apple didn't bite her. How come snakes don't blink? Oh, Violet,
(18:03):
This is a really great question because there are some
really fun myths surrounding this. Many people used to believe
that you should never look a snake in the eye
because it will hypnotize you or put you in a
trance so it can then strike you without you being
able to react. The truth of the matter is snakes
do not have eyelids, so they can't blink. They have
no choice but to constantly stare at you. So then,
(18:25):
now that we know that that usually leads to people
wanting to know what do they do if they don't
have isolids? Aren't their eyes going to dry out? Well,
snakes do have a clear scale that covers their eyes,
sometimes called an eye cap. This clear scale protects the
eye is much like the eyelids do. And get this.
When the snake sheds its skin, it also sheds the
eye cap, and there's a new eye cap already developed
under where the old one was, so the eye is
(18:47):
always protected. Is it true that you can tell how
old a wattle snake is by how many segments are
on its rat work? Well, Violet, That is kind of true,
but not always an accurate way to tell the age
of a rattlesnake. And that's because rattlesnakes get a new
segment to their rattle every time they shed their skin,
(19:08):
and on average that happens about three or four times
a year, depending upon the availability of food sources and
the growth rate of the snake. Baby rattlesnakes are born
with only one segment on their rattle, called a button.
The rattle is noiseless until the baby rattler sheds its
skin for the first time and adds another segment to
the button. The rattle makes noise when the two segments
(19:30):
start to click against each other. So if food is
abundant for the snake and therefore causing growth which causes
the need to shed more often, it might shed its
skin as much as four times in one year. Therefore,
the rattlesnake would add a new segment to its rattle
four times a year. But if food sources are low, well,
it might only shed once or twice in that year,
adding only one or two segments. The other thing to
(19:52):
consider as well, rattlesnakes can break their rattles, making the
rattle shorter or completely gone from the tail. Oh and
by the way, by if you are close enough to
a rattlesnake in the wild to count the individual segments
on its rattle, you are too close. Why does snakes
flick their tongue in and out? Is that mean they're
about to strike? Oh? I love this question, Violet. In fact,
(20:16):
when I do live presentations, I always ask the audience
to stick their tongue out and in and out again
to see if they can smell anything. And of course
the answer should be no, because our tongue is used
to taste food and beverages as we eat and drink,
but if we take a long, slow breath in through
our nose, we can smell the food before we eat it.
(20:36):
That's because deep inside our nose are the receptor cells
that pick up on the tiny particles that float around
in the air. These receptor cells then tell our brain
what it is we're smelling. If it's a yummy meal,
we act accordingly and we get ready to eat. If
it's something that isn't food, we may like or just
like to smell, but we don't think about eating whatever
it is we're smelling. So what does all this have
(20:57):
to do with the snake flicking its tongue in and out.
We get this. When a snake breathes in, it doesn't
smell anything. That's because the receptor cells that since smell
are located on the roof of the mouth in the
area called the Jacobson's organ. And the most effective way
for those particles in the air to get to the
Jacobson's organ, well, that's by flicking the tongue in and out.
(21:18):
The tongue collects the tiny particles that are floating around
in the air that you and I would normally breathe in,
but instead it brings it in to the roof of
the mouth and delivers them to the receptor cells on
that Jacobson's organ Basically, the tongue flicking behavior is just
a way for the snake to identify what's in the
environment and does not mean necessarily that it's going to strike.
I want to thank you so much, Violet for sending
(21:38):
those questions in. They were really good and I have
a feeling there were a lot of people out there
with the same questions, So by asking those questions, you
helped everyone learn a little more about rattlesnakes today. And
if any of our other young listeners have questions about wildlife,
please send us an audio file of you asking your
questions to wildlife at I heart media dot com. Then
(21:58):
keep listening to see if wed to your questions in
an upcoming episode. Yes, thanks Violent for those wonderful questions,
and thank you for listening. We hope you've enjoyed learning
a lot about rattlesnakes. Be sure to subscribe and tune
into next week's episode, in which we bring it the
story of a perhaps surprisingly tey stone species of the desert.
(22:24):
I'm Ebony Money and I'm Rick Schwartz. Thanks for listening.
If you would like to find out more about San
Diego Zoo wildlaf Alliance, please visit sdz w a dot org.
Amazing Wildlife is a production of I Heart Radio. Our
producer is Nikia Swinton and our executive producer is Marcy
to Peanut. Our audio engineer and editor is Sierra Spring.
(22:46):
For more shows from my heart Radio, check out the
I heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows. Two
Hi, I'm Ebany Mona and I'm Rick Schwartz. Welcome to
Amazing Wildlife, where we explore unique stories of wildlife from
around the world and uncover fascinating animal facts. This podcast
is a production of My Heart Radio and San Diego
Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in international nonprofit conservation organization behind the
San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. This next animal lives
(00:26):
in grasslands, forests, swamps, and deserts and is a capable swimmer.
This viper is a well known predator that often gets
a bad rap. Today we're talking about the rattlesnake. Rick.
With thirty six different species of rattlesnakes and more than
(00:47):
double as many subspecies, how does one identify a rattlesnake. Well,
I'm happy to answer that, Ebony, but first I want
to acknowledge that for many people, snakes are a scary object.
And if you're someone who doesn't like snakes or they
just flat out give you the hebe gebs. I hope
you keep listening because my goal here today is to
(01:09):
give everyone a chance to learn how truly fascinating these
reptiles are, and maybe, just maybe, by the end of
this episode, you might have a newfounder respect for these
sensational surpentines. Now back to answering your question, Ebony, how
does one identify rattlesnake? I think it's fair to say
most people would think it's obvious to identify it by well,
(01:31):
it's rattle. But as we have discussed in other episodes,
sometimes in nature there is an exception to the rule.
And what I mean by that is rattlesnakes don't always rattle,
or if you can see them, it's possible you may
not be able to see the tail and therefore not
see the rattle. So what else sets rattlers apart from
other native species of snakes. Well, rattlesnakes tend to be
(01:52):
wider in the body and have a more pronounced triangular
shape to their head. But honestly, my advice to everyone is,
if you are not snake expert, it's best to give
every snake their space by keeping a safe distance. That
sounds like great advice, and advice I would have no
trouble following. So it can be so impressive when people
(02:12):
are really familiar with wildlife, and so familiar that they
can actually spot subtle differences to identify different types of
wildlife or different species Besides the rattle? Are there other
ways to know you're probably looking at a rattlesnake. When
it comes to rattlesnakes, there are a few things that
(02:33):
I look for beyond the tail. But again I cannot
stress enough ebony. If you come across the snake, just
give it some safe space. Don't try to get close
enough to look for these details. No problem, Okay, already
said that straight now, Depending upon where you're seeing the snake,
most rattlers have blotched coloration with dark diamonds, hexagons, or
rhumbuses on a lighter background, usually a gray or light round,
(02:55):
but some can have various shades of orange, pink, red,
or green. Another thing that rattlesnakes have that non venomous
snakes that might look similar to them don't have are
the heat sensing pits below their eyes. These look like
a larger pair of nostrils. They also have vertical slits
for their pupils that look similar to cat's eyes pupils.
But please, again I have to say, don't get close
(03:16):
enough to verify this. So here's a bit of a riddle.
Rattlesnakes are known for their rattles but not all rattlesnakes
have rattles. Why are some rattlesnakes rattle less? Yes, E
Beneth the exception to the rule that I was hinting
out earlier. Rattlesnakes are not born with their rattle in place.
(03:39):
The rattle will start to develop and grow as a
snake grows in sheds. It is also possible for a
rattle to be broken or even broken all the way off,
so it is best not to assume a snake with
no rattle is not a rattlesnake. And since we're talking
about ways to identify a rattlesnake, I want to mention
that if any of our listeners are curious to learn
(03:59):
more about the best ways to identify a species of
rattlesnake in their area, open up your favorite search engine
type and how to identify a rattlesnake and in place
your state's name in the search. Also, that way, your
local county or state's page to identify the species will
come up and give you specific information for your area.
That's great advice. I would have never thought of that.
So Rick. The word rattlesnake alone can just freak a
(04:23):
lot of people out and and fill them with anxiety,
possibly because they don't have experience dealing with snakes. So
Rick now might be a great time to dispel misconceptions.
Good idea, Ebony and I completely agree and respect the
fact that a lot of people are uncomfortable when it
comes to snakes, and so I think first and foremost,
(04:44):
I want people to understand that although we have this
fear of them, rattlesnakes are not purposely trying to get you.
More often than not, they are just as surprised and
scared of you as you are of them. When we
encounter rattlesnakes, it's usually because we have ound our way
into their native habitat, or we live close enough to
their native habitat that are parks or yards that seem
(05:05):
like suitable places for them to look for food sources.
And keep in mind, they do not eat large animals.
Rattlesnakes rely on their venom to catch their prey, usually
smaller animals like lizards, birds, rodents, and other small mammals. Therefore,
they would rather not waste their venom defending themselves. That's
why they have their rattle. They rattle to warn larger
animals to stay away. They're trying not to be hunted
(05:28):
or stepped on, and that loud rattle is their way
of trying to scare away something that might be dangerous
to them. They will strike if they perceive there's no
other way to defend themselves, but honestly, given a chance,
most rattlers would rather leave you alone and be left alone.
It's good to know. So. Reptiles, including snakes, are commonly
(05:48):
referred to as cold blooded. I hear that often. What
does that mean exactly? Does that mean that they're actually
physically cold to the touch or deliberately cruel? But I
think you answer that's funny of you. I've never thought
of it as possibly meaning that they are deliberately cruel,
but I can see how that might be one of
the ways to interpret that, especially the way some people
(06:09):
feel about snakes. And I can say, without hesitation, the
answer is no to both versions of your question. They
are not usually cold to the touch nor deliberately cruel.
So let's get into this little bit because it is
kind of interesting. The term cold blooded can be a
little misleading. You see, mammals like us are considered warm blood,
meaning our body will regulate our temperature. If we are
(06:31):
too hot, our body will automatically start to perspire without
us having to think about it, in an effort to
regulate our temperature by keeping us cool. And if we
get too cold, our body will start to shiver in
an effort to warm us up with a rapid muscle movement. Again,
we don't choose to do this, our body doesn't naturally.
These are just two ways to show how our body
self regulates temperature, but in general we maintain our own
(06:53):
body temperature through our metabolism. Therefore, being a warm blooded
animal is more accurately called being an do thermic animal
endo meaning within and therm meaning heat or temperature. When
we look at snakes and other reptiles, the term cold
blooded is used because their bodies do not regulate their temperature.
If they get too hot, they need to find a
(07:13):
way to cool off in their environment, so they'll choose
something like a burrow or the shade under a bush
or a tree. If they get too cold, they need
to find a source of warmth, like basking in the sun. Therefore,
a more accurate term for cold blooded is ecto therm
ecto meaning outer and external and therm again meaning heat
or temperature. Rick, I think I might know the answer
(07:34):
to this at this point, but I'm still going to ask,
just to drive the point home. Are rattlesnakes temperamental in
any way? As in will they strike anyone or anything
that may get too close or process path? I think
it's still a fair question, and we've kind of answered it,
but let's get into this a little more. I mean,
just imagine, but you're out and about in a lush
(07:57):
tree line park, minding your own business, enjoy the warmth
of the sun, when all of a sudden, a massive
giant with feet as big as trucks comes out of
nowhere and heads right for you. The odds are you
would be scared for your life. You would most likely
try to run away if possible, or yell and scream
to let the giant know that you were there and
do not want to get stepped on, Or if you
(08:19):
had no other option, you might do whatever you could
to defend yourself. Rattlesnakes are the same way. Their primary
defense mechanism is to try to get away and hide.
If that doesn't work or isn't an option, they will
rattle and hiss in hopes to warn or scare away
whatever it is that might or could hurt them. If
the threat doesn't back away or avoid them, or if
(08:41):
they are being stepped on, well, they can definitely bite,
and because they have venom for hunting their prey, a
defensive bite can also deliver venom. Rick some people have
the idea, there's an idea of floating around that baby
rattlesnakes are even more dangerous than adults. Is there any
truth to this? Yeah, it's a common myth and honestly
(09:04):
there's more myth to it than fact. And hear me
because I know some people will argue this point, but
here's what science tells us. Somewhere in the history of
humans moving into rattlesnake habitats, this myth of baby snakes
releasing more venom than adults because they have no quote
unquote control over how much venom they release was started
as we became more involved with rattlesnake territory. But the
true research shows that bites from baby rattlesnakes are typically
(09:27):
less dangerous because they have less venom to inject, their
smaller their glands or smaller, so the bite delivers less venom.
And to be clear, It doesn't mean that they aren't dangerous,
because they are dangerous, just a little bit less dangerous. Now,
with that said, younger rattlesnakes can be more hazardous because
they're small and harder to see. Additionally, they are born
(09:48):
without a rattle. It can take several weeks before the
first bits of a rattle start to develop, so their
ability to warn others that they are there is also
not very effective at first. Gotcha. Now there's another myth,
and this one I have personally heard, and that is
that people are born hardwired to fear not just rattlesnakes,
(10:11):
but all snakes. Is this true or false? It kind
of skews towards true. This is the innate fear of
the note rope, as the Internet calls them. I can
stay with my own experience. Some people definitely seem to
be more afraid than others. Some seem more curious than afraid,
where others will jump and run from a stick that
(10:33):
just looks like it might be a snake. Interestingly enough,
there was a group of researchers in Germany and Sweden
who decided to find out if people were born with
a fear of certain wildlife by testing a segment of
the population least likely to have learned this fear, babies.
When the babies saw pictures of the snakes, and they
also tested spiders, they consistently reacted with larger pupils than
(10:57):
when they were shown control images such as flowers and fish.
This finding, published in the Journal of Frontiers and Psychology,
suggested that a fear of these creatures could indeed be innate,
or a fear basically that humans are born with. And
that's because the dilated pupils are associated with an activity
in the nora genergic system of the brain, the same
system that processes stress. Now back to rattlesnakes being ectothermic.
(11:23):
They come out during hot weather because people seem to
think that they love the heat. Is this true, Well,
yes and no, and you're right. It just goes back
to our discussion earlier aboutping ectothermic, which of course means
their temperatures are regulated by outside temperatures. So at night,
the temperatures tend to cool down in the desert areas
(11:44):
or just about any region rattle snakes can be found,
and so does the snake's body temperature. Then, therefore, when
the morning sun starts to warm up the ground and
surrounding environment. Well, guess what Snakes will emerge from their
sleeping area to warm up, and this is when they
start doing their basking in the sun. But they can't
handle really hot temperatures very well, so usually once they
have warmed up, they spend their day looking for food
(12:07):
and seeking out opportunities to keep their body in sort
of an environmental temperatures between seventy and ninety degrees fahrenheit. Okay,
So here is another common perception that we have a
chance to possibly dispel. Is it true that rattlesnakes always
rattle before they strike? Unfortunately, Ebony, they do not. And
(12:29):
when we look at the evolution of rattlesnakes and what
they evolved in parallel with it, it makes sense why
they do not always rattle before striking. You see all
snakes here approaching animals by detecting vibrations through the ground
and substrate that they are sitting on. So rattlesnake rattles
when it hears or picks up on these vibrations of
an approaching animal. Well, prior to massive human populations coming
(12:51):
into rattlesnake territory, rattlesnakes lived alongside bison, elk, moose, and
other large wildlife. They evolved to be amongst these large animals. Well,
rattlesnakes can easily detect an approaching bison, which can easily
weigh a thousand to two thousand pounds, and being able
to detect that bison's footsteps the rattle or can give
an early warning to rattle saying watch out, don't step
(13:13):
on me. Unfortunately, rattlesnakes are less likely to feel the
approaching footsteps of a pound human and even less likely
to detect approaching footsteps of a child. Thus, humans have
greater chances of sneaking up and surprising a rattlesnake in
this kind of situation. If the rattlesnake is surprised and
feels threatened, it may strike in self defense right away
instead of giving a warning rattle. Rick. Here's another idea
(13:37):
that has been floating around, and this one I haven't heard,
and that is that rattlesnakes some people believe are not
reptiles because they don't lay eggs. Is that true? And
if they're not reptiles, then what would they be? Well
that's an interesting one, ebony, because the idea that all
(13:57):
reptiles must come from eggs that haven't been laid in
the nest or burrow is a little inaccurate. In the
case of our friend the rattlesnake, the female actually carries
true eggs inside her belly. She incubates them inside her
body for around ninety days before giving birth to live young,
So essentially, the eggs will hatch inside of her and
then the young come out. This is no one as
(14:18):
being obviviparious. When a baby rattlesnake is born, it comes
out fully developed and ready to start life on its
own without any maternal care. I would imagine that there's
some survival benefits to that, considering we've learned in earlier
episodes that reptile eggs can sometimes be vulnerable to threats,
it does make sense. Yeah, and that's kind of when
(14:40):
we talk about how certain species have evolved to deal
with certain predators. You're right, Is it possible that the
rattlesnakes have evolved to keep their eggs in them to
prevent smaller mammals like rodents and rats that do live
in those same areas from raiding those nests and getting
those eggs. Something we can follow up, I think so.
So it's been fun to clear up some of the
myths and even debunk some falsehoods. Now, let's go in
(15:03):
a different direction and find out how rattlesnakes help the ecosystem. Oh, absolutely,
they are very important. It as predators of rodents and
other small mammals that can potentially spread disease or become
a problem if they overpopulate. Rattlesnakes help keep the ecosystem
in balance. For example, a recent study by a team
of University of Maryland biologists made it clear that the
(15:26):
timber brattlesnake indirectly benefits humankind by keeping lime disease in check. This,
of course, is because snakes eat the small mammals that
ticks live on, and those ticks carry and spread lime disease.
Just ahead, we'll find out what a young listener wants
to know about rattlesnakes. Ripple answer her questions coming up
(15:47):
right after this. Now, it's time for the San Diego
Zoom Minute, an opportunity for you to learn what's new
at the zoo exciting baby news. This year, the San
Diego Zoo welcomed the birth of a ringtailed lemur infant
at the Africa Rocks Madagascar forest habitat. The female infant
(16:10):
was born the first time lemur mother Rendra. Both mother
and baby have been doing really well as a youngster grows.
There are more than one species of lemurs, all native
to the island of Madagascar, and all considered threatened or endangered.
The ringtailed lemur is easily recognized with its big eyes,
wooly gray fur, and long black and white ring tail.
(16:31):
Did you know the rattlesnake's triangular head contains a hollow
spot between the eyes and nostrils called a pit. The
pit is actually a sensory organ that helps the rattlesnake
hunt and darkness by detecting body heat. Today, we've learned
(16:57):
a lot about the rattle snake, and now we have
questions from a young listener. Violet wants to know. I
heard people say that brettest snakes are poison nous, and
I heard people say that weird snakes are venomous, And
isn't that the same thing? Ah, yes, Violet, we do
(17:21):
hear those terms being used interchangeably, don't we. But there
is a difference. When we're talking about animals that are venomous.
We are talking about an animal that when it bites
you or stings you, it injects or places venom into you,
like a rattlesnake. When we're talking about animals that are poisonous,
we're talking about an animal that if you touch them
or eat them, you can get sick or have a
(17:42):
very bad toxic reaction, like a poison dart frog. One
way I like to remember the difference is by thinking
about the old fairy tale of snow White. The wicked
witch gives her a poisonous apple, not a venomous apple.
Snow White bites the apple and got sick from eating it.
The apple didn't bite her. How come snakes don't blink? Oh, Violet,
(18:03):
This is a really great question because there are some
really fun myths surrounding this. Many people used to believe
that you should never look a snake in the eye
because it will hypnotize you or put you in a
trance so it can then strike you without you being
able to react. The truth of the matter is snakes
do not have eyelids, so they can't blink. They have
no choice but to constantly stare at you. So then,
(18:25):
now that we know that that usually leads to people
wanting to know what do they do if they don't
have isolids? Aren't their eyes going to dry out? Well,
snakes do have a clear scale that covers their eyes,
sometimes called an eye cap. This clear scale protects the
eye is much like the eyelids do. And get this.
When the snake sheds its skin, it also sheds the
eye cap, and there's a new eye cap already developed
under where the old one was, so the eye is
(18:47):
always protected. Is it true that you can tell how
old a wattle snake is by how many segments are
on its rat work? Well, Violet, That is kind of true,
but not always an accurate way to tell the age
of a rattlesnake. And that's because rattlesnakes get a new
segment to their rattle every time they shed their skin,
(19:08):
and on average that happens about three or four times
a year, depending upon the availability of food sources and
the growth rate of the snake. Baby rattlesnakes are born
with only one segment on their rattle, called a button.
The rattle is noiseless until the baby rattler sheds its
skin for the first time and adds another segment to
the button. The rattle makes noise when the two segments
(19:30):
start to click against each other. So if food is
abundant for the snake and therefore causing growth which causes
the need to shed more often, it might shed its
skin as much as four times in one year. Therefore,
the rattlesnake would add a new segment to its rattle
four times a year. But if food sources are low, well,
it might only shed once or twice in that year,
adding only one or two segments. The other thing to
(19:52):
consider as well, rattlesnakes can break their rattles, making the
rattle shorter or completely gone from the tail. Oh and
by the way, by if you are close enough to
a rattlesnake in the wild to count the individual segments
on its rattle, you are too close. Why does snakes
flick their tongue in and out? Is that mean they're
about to strike? Oh? I love this question, Violet. In fact,
(20:16):
when I do live presentations, I always ask the audience
to stick their tongue out and in and out again
to see if they can smell anything. And of course
the answer should be no, because our tongue is used
to taste food and beverages as we eat and drink,
but if we take a long, slow breath in through
our nose, we can smell the food before we eat it.
(20:36):
That's because deep inside our nose are the receptor cells
that pick up on the tiny particles that float around
in the air. These receptor cells then tell our brain
what it is we're smelling. If it's a yummy meal,
we act accordingly and we get ready to eat. If
it's something that isn't food, we may like or just
like to smell, but we don't think about eating whatever
it is we're smelling. So what does all this have
(20:57):
to do with the snake flicking its tongue in and out.
We get this. When a snake breathes in, it doesn't
smell anything. That's because the receptor cells that since smell
are located on the roof of the mouth in the
area called the Jacobson's organ. And the most effective way
for those particles in the air to get to the
Jacobson's organ, well, that's by flicking the tongue in and out.
(21:18):
The tongue collects the tiny particles that are floating around
in the air that you and I would normally breathe in,
but instead it brings it in to the roof of
the mouth and delivers them to the receptor cells on
that Jacobson's organ Basically, the tongue flicking behavior is just
a way for the snake to identify what's in the
environment and does not mean necessarily that it's going to strike.
I want to thank you so much, Violet for sending
(21:38):
those questions in. They were really good and I have
a feeling there were a lot of people out there
with the same questions, So by asking those questions, you
helped everyone learn a little more about rattlesnakes today. And
if any of our other young listeners have questions about wildlife,
please send us an audio file of you asking your
questions to wildlife at I heart media dot com. Then
(21:58):
keep listening to see if wed to your questions in
an upcoming episode. Yes, thanks Violent for those wonderful questions,
and thank you for listening. We hope you've enjoyed learning
a lot about rattlesnakes. Be sure to subscribe and tune
into next week's episode, in which we bring it the
story of a perhaps surprisingly tey stone species of the desert.
(22:24):
I'm Ebony Money and I'm Rick Schwartz. Thanks for listening.
If you would like to find out more about San
Diego Zoo wildlaf Alliance, please visit sdz w a dot org.
Amazing Wildlife is a production of I Heart Radio. Our
producer is Nikia Swinton and our executive producer is Marcy
to Peanut. Our audio engineer and editor is Sierra Spring.
(22:46):
For more shows from my heart Radio, check out the
I heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows. Two
Hosts And Creators
Rick Schwartz
Marco Wendt
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