How do rattlesnakes rattle?
The rattlesnake is a venomous snake found in North and South America. They are named for the rattle on their tail, which they shake to warn predators. Rattlesnakes are pit vipers, which means they have heat-sensing pits on their faces that help them find prey in the dark.
The sound of a rattlesnake's rattle is perhaps the most frightening sound you could hear on a hike. But how and why do these snakes make this iconic noise
"Everything tells us that they rattle to alert predators," David Pfennig, a professor of biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Live Science. Rattlesnakes may seem like fearsome creatures, but they are not at the top of the food chain. When a predator or a beast that could trample it — like a coyote or a bison, respectively — approaches, the rattle warns the predator to stay away or else it might get the fangs.
However, scientists didn't always know this. According to Pfennig, until the 1950s, there was a lot of debate about what the rattle was actually used for. Some thought it could be used to attract mates.
Rattlesnakes come in a variety of colors and patterns, depending on the species. They can be found in deserts, forests, and grasslands. Rattlesnakes are ambush predators, meaning they wait for their prey to come to them before striking. They eat small animals, such as rodents, lizards, and birds.
