The prairie rattlesnake is well-known for the rattling noise it makes when the rings at the base of its tail rub against one other. The snake can hide fangs behind its flat, triangular skull. Dark spots dot the snake’s back, and the underside is cream-colored. The body is greenish-gray to greenish-brown in color.
Every time the rattlesnake peels its skin, maybe four or five times during its first summer and once or twice a year after, a new rattle is attached to the string. Females have more rings than males.
Habitats/Behaviours
- Even though the prairie rattlesnake is cold-blooded, the humidity of its environment affects its health.
- It hibernates in caverns and other animals’ burrows throughout the winter.
- The rattlesnake hunts throughout the day in the cooler months of spring and autumn, but it must hunt at night during the hotter months of summer.
- This snake is not aggressive, and if approached, it will usually escape. However, as a predator, it has unique abilities. It can sense smells and heat up to 30 meters away because to the tongue it has attached to its smell- and heat-sensing membranes.
- To catch food, prairie rattlesnakes strike quickly and use their deadly fangs to immobilize their victim. Small animals, amphibians, reptiles, and surface birds are all prey to the rattlesnake.
Range
It is possible to come across a prairie rattlesnake in southwest Saskatchewan or southeast Alberta. From Idaho and Montana to western Iowa and northern Mexico, the species’ range in the United States spans.
My understanding is that the only species of rattlesnake in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho is the northern pacific rattlesnake. While their range goes beyond these three states, they are the only species of rattlesnakes in these three states acording to their own wildlife departments as of my last check. Is your Prairie Rattlesnake the same or a different species? If different, then you are at odds with the wildlife depeartments of these three states in the Pacific norhwest.
https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/biology/herpetology/amphibians-reptiles-washington/northern-pacific
Thank you. Very interesting!
How come nobody ever talks about the Mojave Green? Very aggressive and they’ll chase you even if you don’t annoy them.
They will chase you if you are wearing
any type of socks with colorful
patterns. They especially dislike
argyle socks. This sends them into
a frenzy. I learned the hard way.
The only aggressive snake in the USA I have heard of is the cottonmouth. However, I have never seen one be aggressive, just heard of it. I was born and raised in Louisiana and lived in Barstow (Mojave desert) CA for two years while in the Marine Corps. I have never seen a rattler in the desert. However, I know they are there.
Thank you. Very interesting!
God’s creation is perfect