What is it that makes the rattling sound in a rattlesnake's tail?
The father and son in this video were wondering the same thing and decided to find out and put the results online for all to see.
Luckily, they weren't dealing with a live rattlesnake. There are plenty venomous snakes in the United States, but to stay completely safe, this one had long since died.
The conclusions these amateur herpetologists find might surprise you. Check this out.
Perhaps it's just the word "rattle" that makes this a little bit surprising. Hearing the name rattlesnake and hearing the rattle sounds they make, it just kind of makes you assume there's something inside the tail causing the rattling sound.
But as it turns out, the buzzing sound comes simply from the hollow rattle segments of the snake's tail vibrating against one another at up to 50 times per second.
Now You Know What's Inside a Rattlesnake's Rattle
How's that for a little natural history? Don't you just love it when it's full of fun facts you never knew before?
Despite years in the outdoors, I've still never encountered a rattler in the wild because they're extremely rare in Michigan. It's also something I simply never thought about or researched either. It's pretty interesting information on one of the more unique snakes we share our planet with.
NEXT: BIZARRE "ALIEN" FISH CAUGHT IN MEXICO IDENTIFIED AS ALBINO SHARK
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