rattlesnake

/ˌrædlˈsneɪk/

/ˈrætəlsneɪk/

Other forms: rattlesnakes

A rattlesnake is a long, venomous reptile with a tail that shakes, making a sound like a maraca, before it bites. When you're camping in the Arizona desert, you'll want to keep an eye out for rattlesnakes.

Rattlesnakes get their name from the rattle at the end of their tails that's composed of rattling pieces of keratin, the same kind of protein found in your fingernails. In order to scare off predators, rattlesnakes noisily vibrate their tails, warning that they're ready to strike. While these snakes cause most snake bites in the U.S., they only attack if they're feeling threatened, and rattlesnake bites aren't deadly if they're treated right away.

Definitions of rattlesnake

1. noun

   pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken
   synonyms: rattler

   types:

   Crotalus adamanteus, diamondback, diamondback rattlesnake

   large deadly rattlesnake with diamond-shaped markings

   Crotalus horridus horridus, banded rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake

   widely distributed in rugged ground of eastern United States

   Crotalus viridis, Western rattlesnake, prairie rattler, prairie rattlesnake

   widely distributed between the Mississippi and the Rockies

   Crotalus cerastes, horned rattlesnake, sidewinder

   small pale-colored desert rattlesnake of southwestern United States; body moves in an s-shaped curve

   Crotalus atrox, Western diamondback, Western diamondback rattlesnake

   largest and most dangerous North American snake; of southwestern United States and Mexico

   Crotalus lepidus, rock rattlesnake

   mountain rock dweller of Mexico and most southern parts of United States southwest

   Crotalus tigris, tiger rattlesnake

   having irregularly cross-banded back; of arid foothills and canyons of southern Arizona and Mexico

   Crotalus scutulatus, Mojave rattlesnake

   extremely dangerous; most common in areas of scattered scrubby growth; from Mojave Desert to western Texas and into Mexico

   Crotalus mitchellii, speckled rattlesnake

   markings vary but usually harmonize with background; of southwestern Arizona and Baja California

   Sistrurus catenatus, massasauga, massasauga rattler

   pygmy rattlesnake found in moist areas from the Great Lakes to Mexico; feeds on mice and small amphibians

   Sistrurus miliaris, ground rattler, massasauga

   small pygmy rattlesnake

   Crotalus horridus atricaudatus, canebrake rattler, canebrake rattlesnake

   southern variety

   type of:

   pit viper

   New World vipers with hollow fangs and a heat-sensitive pit on each side of the head