In nature we can find amazing animals. Some stand out for their peculiar colorful or for his incredible abilities, like the coconut octopus that we saw in Supercurioso. On this occasion we wanted to approach a being whose name inspires terror: the Rattlesnake. We bring you 10 Curiosities of this office that has a supersense!
The snakes or ophidians are divided into more than 450 genera and these in 3460 species. Many people suffer from a phobia related to these animals that is known as ophidhobia . This prevents them from not only talking about the snakes, but sometimes terrifies any representation and even its mere mention. In the case of rattlesnake , the fear is justified since it is the most poisonous snake in North America.
10 Curiosities of the Rattlesnake
1. There are 36 species of rattlesnake and its habitat are grasslands and deserts or semi-deserts of North America and part of South America, to the north of Argentina.
2. Its official or generic name is "Crótalus" which comes from the Greek word "krotalon" which means "rattle" or "castanet" and refers to the device they have at the end of their tail that sounds in a characteristic way.
3. The measures of crotalus are very different depending on the species. They range from 50/60 cm. up to 2'5 meters and 4 kg. of weight. Males are usually a little larger than females.
4. The main characteristic of this genre of snakes is the rattle or rattle that they have at the end of their tail and that allows them to throw a warning of danger. This rattle is formed by a series of housings or horn cases that are flexibly interlaced and cover the end of the tail. Unlike other snakes, the final point or "button" is much thicker and with a shape reminiscent of a bulb with rings. When the snake sheds its skin it will already have developed a new button inside the last one that contracts and becomes loose allowing the vibration of those interlaced segments and producing the characteristic sound of the rattlesnake .
5. Formerly it was believed that one could know the age of a rattlesnake by rings that presented his rattle based on that they changed the skin once a year. However, this concept is false since this habit can change the skin totally or partially more than once a year. It is also normal to lose part of the rattle when it has been damaged by vibrations, so it is normal to have about 7 or 8 rings regardless of their age.
6. The Supersense that has the rattlesnake is the union of the sense of taste and smell that help you track your prey. When you see a rattle moving its tongue, it is tracking its prey. With it it captures the chemical traces that are in the air and whose molecules adhere to be transmitted to the "organ of Jacobson" that is located on the palate of the snake. In the chemical traces are analyzed and information is sent to the brain that identifies the smells. The snake will take one direction or another as the smell of its prey sits more on one tip of the tongue or another. This supersense is complemented by their nostrils that carry out their mission in a conventional manner.
7. When they feel in danger, they warn by rattling their bell or rattle and put their neck in the form of letter "S" so they can attack with greater speed.
8. The rattlesnake he bites his victim and injects him with poison, but then withdraws so as not to be damaged by it with scratches or bites. Let the prey move away until it dies and follow the trace of odor that leaves until it reaches its corpse.
9. Its poison is very powerful because it destroys red blood cells and makes the blood vessels penetrable, affecting circulation and body tissue. The bite is very painful and deadly, if not remedied, in several of the species of rattlesnake . Native Americans knew different plants that were avoided by the rattles and tied around their ankles as protection against bites.
10. If you come across a rattlesnake , you should know that its radius of action, when it attacks, corresponds to approximately one third of the length of its body - as a rule - and, in the case of a bite, that today there is an effective antidote to combat the poison that inoculates the snake and that avoids the death of the one who has been attacked.
Nowadays, the number of rattlesnakes has decreased a lot in all the countries where you can find them and therefore, fortunately, the rate of bites is much lower than that of years ago. Have you ever seen a rattlesnake In their habitat? Share your experience with us! If you want to meet another ophidian "Supercurioso", we invite you to read the post: The amazing Snake Ringneck | Discover its amazing colors!