What is the function of a rattlesnake's tail?

The rattlesnake is a kind of tube-toothed venomous snake of the family Agkistrodon halys. In fact, what people remember most about the rattlesnake is the sound-making tail, which is unique to the rattlesnake. Snake friends who don't know about the rattlesnake's tail are very curious. I don't know how they make a sound, let alone why. Let's take a look at what the rattlesnake tail does.

What is the function of a rattlesnake's tail?

A rattlesnake is typically characterized by a rattlesnake's tail ring. The rattlesnake's ring is like a string of dry hollow beads. When it shakes, the ring will rub against each other and vibrate the empty machine and hiss to warn the intruder that it will be poisoned by it. The longer the ring, the louder the sound, which means that the older the rattlesnake is, and the baby rattlesnake without ring will attack without warning because it is unable to sound a warning. At the same time, rattlesnake tails can simulate the sound of water, attracting thirsty animals in the desert.

Why does a rattlesnake's tail ring?

Rattlesnakes need to molt in the process of growth, leaving a horny ring in each layer of the tail, and there is a series of horny rings at the end of the adult rattlesnake tail, which is the keratinized epidermis left after molting many times. This kind of keratinized epidermis is surrounded by a cavity, and the cavity is separated into two annular vacuoles by the keratinized epidermis, that is, two air vibrators. When the tail of the rattlesnake shakes, a stream of air is formed in the cavity. as soon as the air goes in and out to vibrate back and forth, the bubble makes a "quack, quack" sound.

How toxic is the rattlesnake?

Rattlesnakes are so venomous that humans have a severe tingling and burning sensation immediately after being bitten, such as the bite of a large insect, followed by fainting, but these are only early symptoms. The time of dizziness and stubbornness is as short as a few minutes and as long as a few hours. After regaining consciousness, the body feels heavier, the bitten part swells purple-black, the body temperature rises, and hallucinations begin, and all objects in the line of sight are of one color (most of them are maroon or maroon purple). Any rattlesnake bite should be treated as a life-threatening emergency and immediately sent to hospital for treatment by a professional doctor.

Why do rattlesnakes bite after death?

Rattlesnakes are toxic enough to kill people who have been bitten, but postmortem rattlesnakes are just as dangerous and can bounce and attack even within an hour after death. Rattlesnakes have a reflex in biting and are not affected by the brain. The head of a rattlesnake has special organs that can use infrared to sense feverish animals nearby. The ability of rattlesnakes to bite after death comes from the reflex of these infrared sensing organs. Even if other body functions have stopped, as long as the sensory organs and tissues of the head are not rotten, the rattlesnake can still detect heat-emitting organisms within 15 centimeters of the nearby area within an hour after death and automatically respond to attacks.