Rattle Snakes - Be safe, be aware
Of all the species of reptiles, rattle snakes are one you don’t want to encounter this summer while on vacation hiking through the woods or camping. They don’t want to encounter you either, that is why they send out a warning, by rattling their tail.
Eastern Diamondback rattle snakes are the largest of all venomous snakes that live in United States. They range in color from gray to various shade of brown, and their average length is 5 feet, but they have been known to grown a maximum of 8 feet in length. At closer inspection of the head, their eyes and heat sensing pits used to find prey are found on both sides of the head. It has a sullen disposition, is very bold and sometimes aggressive. Their fangs can measure one inch in large specimens and one bite of their venomous fangs could mean death since it is very poisonous to human beings. These rattle snakes are beautiful to behold with their diamond patterned back, but deadly to their prey.
In the wild, this venom is meant to incapacitate their prey they seek as food and as a defense against an attacker. As long as they don’t perceive you as an attacker, you need not be too concerned, but if you invade their territory, they can be very aggressive. So if you find one coiled up and shaking their tail like a rattle, they mean business.
Eastern diamondback rattle snakes can be found in lowlands from southeastern North Carolina to eastern Louisiana. Their habitat includes all of Florida.
Female diamondback rattle snakes do not lay eggs. Instead, they carry their young in shell-less eggs inside of their bodies until the babies are ready to emerge. Eight to fifteen young usually hatch from their membrane sacs in late summer or early fall. Although baby rattle snakes are born about a foot long, they are venomous from birth.
Rattle snakes prefer small mammals like rabbits, squirrels, and rats, but they will occasionally eat quail and other small animals. They use their heat sensing pits to help locate their prey. They strike with amazing speed and then wait for their victim to die before eating it.
The number of Eastern diamondback rattle snakes are rapidly diminishing in Florida due to the destruction of their habitat. Populations of rattlesnakes are also on the decline due to targeted killings called roundups, which are illegal in Florida.