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The warmer a rattlesnake, the faster it vibrates its tail. [6] Rattlesnakes tail-vibrate faster than other snakes, with some individuals nearing or exceeding 90 rattles per second. [7] [8] This makes rattlesnake tail vibration one of the fastest sustained vertebrate movements—faster than the wingbeat of a hummingbird. The movement is possible ...
These results strongly support the hypothesis that tail vibration preceded the rattling system as a behavior and allowed for the rattle to be selected for once developed. Even a small, underdeveloped rattle early in the evolution of the rattling system could have been advantageous if tail vibration was an ancestral behavior. [58]
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Modified tail scales form a rattle on a western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox). The most distinctive modification of the snake scale is the rattle of rattlesnakes, such as those of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus. The rattle is made up of a series of loosely linked, interlocking chambers that when shaken, vibrate against one another ...
A python (top) and rattlesnake illustrating the positions of the pit organs. Arrows pointing to the pit organs are red; a black arrow points to the nostril. The ability to sense infrared thermal radiation evolved independently in three different groups of snakes, consisting of the families of Boidae (boas), Pythonidae (pythons), and the ...
The timber rattlesnake (C. horridus), has no tail rings. In the western rattlesnake (C. oreganus), the pale tail rings are the same color as the ground. The tail of the black-tailed rattlesnake (C. molossus), is a uniform black, or has indistinct tail rings.
The rattle may also be lacking in any species due to a congenital abnormality. [3] The rattle of a western diamondback rattlesnake (note the black and white colour at the base) The rattle consists of a series of loosely interlocking hollow shells, each of which was at one point the scale covering the tip of the tail.
Like other rattlesnakes, its tail has a rattle, which is composed of keratin. Each time the snake sheds its skin, a new segment is added to the rattle. However, the rattle is fragile and may break off, and the frequency of shedding can vary. So, the snake's age cannot be determined by the number of segments or length of the rattle.