Rattlesnake PreventionWhat should I do if I encounter a rattlesnake?Leave it alone. Most bites occur when individuals or dogs provoke the rattlesnake or if you try to capture or kill it. Rattlesnakes only bite or attack in self-defense, so the best way to avoid being bitten is to leave ...
HOW THE RATTLESNAKES CAME TO BE WHAT THEY AREZuñi
The rattle of the rattlesnake is formed in hollow interlocked segments made up of keratin, the same material that constitutes a human nail. The segments fit loosely inside one another at the end of the serpent’s tail. Imagine walking through a sweltering desert, a lone captive in the se...
The roadrunner is often depicted as a silly bird in cartoons but is actually a creature superbly adapted to the desert. It takes its water and nutrition from diverse prey – scorpions, reptiles (even rattlesnakes), small rodents and other birds. The scorpion, one of the roadrunner's preys a...
Rattlesnakes though need to be respected as they are venomous and one bite can totally ruin your day. Even if you survive, you're in for a rough time. While reviled by most, they do have a couple of good points. They keep rodents and other pests away and, believe it or not, many...
[THUNDER RUMBLING] SPEAKER: During storms, some rattlesnakes drink rain droplets from scales on their backs. This unusual behavior could help them survive when water is scarce. Now researchers have figured out how the nanotexture of scales from these snakes helps them use their bodies to harvest...
Generally, rattlesnakes will do their best not to engage with you. But if one is moving toward you, don’t assume it’s to attack you. “If a rattlesnake is coming in your direction, it might be a little bit more bold, and you’re just in the direction that it wants to go ...
A sidewinder – Bitis peringueyi – in the Namib desert, making tracks climbing a dune in late afternoon light. ©Chantelle Bosch/Shutterstock.com Sidewinderrattlesnakesare the serpents most famous for their sidewinding movement style, but they aren’t the only snakes to exhibit this behavior....
While markings differ, most rattlesnakes have highly distinctive patterns on their backs – often diamond shaped. The colors help the snakes to camouflage themselves, so the markings on desert rattlers are sand colored, while those on timber rattlers resemble leaves. Baby snakes have the same mar...
A drastic change in your pet's skin tone is often cause for alarm, but not in the case of the leopard gecko. When he turns gray, he's not getting sick; the change is perfectly normal. As your gecko grows, he sheds. Once you know that your pet isn't in any danger, the process...