by JAMES CONNOR

THERE ARE: MAMMALS FISH REPTILES BIRDS AMPHIBIANS

A rattlesnake is cold-blooded. They breathe using lungs. The rattlesnake’s skin is covered in scales. They have no feet or legs and move around by slithering along the ground. The rattlesnake reproduces babies by laying eggs.

Rattlesnakes are poisonous snakes. They have a rattle on the end of their tail. They have jaws that open very wide. They eat mice and birds head first. They can unhook their jaw to eat animals twice their size.

All Diamondback Rattlesnakes have different colors. They have yellow scales, but some of them have brown to black scales. Their tails have black and white stripes.

They have a dark V or diamond-shaped markings on their back.

The eastern diamondback is about 33-96 inches long. The largest eastern diamondback snakes are eight feet long.

The western diamondback is about 30-84 inches long. The largest western diamondbacks are less than seven feet long.

Rattlesnakes live in every southeastern and southwestern state. Rattlesnakes are carnivores. That means they are meat eaters. They like to eat mice, lizards, birds, and other small animals. They hide in tall grass and are noctural. That means they hunt mostly at night.

Rattling can scare off an enemy. The tail makes a buzzing sound when it moves. Newborn rattle snakes don’t have a rattle. They start making rattles when they grow out of their skin. That is called molting.

Be careful of rattlesnakes. Over 8,000 people are bitten by poisonous snakes every year.

A bite might start with just four holes, but the poison can cause a lot of damage.

If you want to learn more just go to a book fair, a library, Lowry Park Zoo, or check on the internet.