Rattlesnake Trivia Quiz Questions and Answers
What is a rattlesnake?
A: Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes.
Rattlesnakes are of what genera?
A: Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae.
The 32 known species of rattlesnakes have how many
subspecies?
A: Between 65 and 70.
They are all native to where?
A: The Americas.
Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of
habitats, hunting what?
A: Small animals such as
birds and rodents.
How do they kill their prey?
A: With a venomous bite, rather than by constricting.
All rattlesnakes possess a set of fangs with which they
inject what?
A: Large quantities of hemotoxic venom.
The venom travels through the bloodstream, destroying
tissue and causing what?
A: Swelling, internal bleeding, and intense pain.
Some species additionally possess a “what” in their venom?
A: A neurotoxin component that causes paralysis and other nervous system
symptoms.
The loud shaking of the snakes “rattle" at the end of their
tails, deters what?
A: Many predators.
Rattlesnakes fall prey to what other animals?
A: Hawks, weasels, king snakes, and a variety of other species.
Rattlesnake populations in many areas are severely
threatened by what?
A: Habitat destruction, poaching, and extermination campaigns.
Where are rattlesnake bites the leading cause of snakebite
injuries?
A: In North America.
Rattlesnakes rarely bite unless what?
A: Provoked or threatened.
Rattlesnakes are native to the Americas, living in diverse
habitats from southwestern Canada to where?
A: Central Argentina.
The large majority of species live where?
A: In the American Southwest and Mexico.
Four species may be found east of the what?
A: Mississippi river.
Two species can be found where?
A: In South America.
In the US, which states have the most types of
rattlesnakes?
A: Texas and
Arizona.
Most species live near what?
A: Open, rocky areas.
Rocks offer the snakes cover from predators, plentiful prey
like rodents, lizards, insects, etc. and what?
A: Open basking areas.
What temperature range do rattlesnakes prefer?
A: A temperature range between 80 and 90°F.
Rattlesnakes lie in wait for their prey, or hunt for it in
what?
A: Holes.
Once the prey has become incapacitated, the rattlesnake
locates its head by what method?
A: By detecting odors emitted from the mouth.
The prey is then ingested head-first, which allows wings
and limbs to what?
A: Fold at the joints in a manner which minimizes the girth of the meal.
The gastric fluids of rattlesnakes are extremely powerful,
allowing for the digestion of what?
A: Bone, as well as flesh.
Optimal digestion occurs when the snake maintains what body
temperature?
A: A body temperature between 80 and 85°F (25 and 29°C).
To stay hydrated, rattlesnakes are believed to require at
least what?
A: Their own body weight in water annually.
The common kingsnake, a constrictor, is immune to what?
A: The venom of rattlesnakes and other vipers.
Rattlesnakes form part of a kingsnakes what?
A: Natural diet.
How do rattlesnakes sense kingsnakes' presence?
A: By their odor.
Rattlesnakes have what two organs that can sense
radiation?
A: Their eyes, and a set of heat-sensing "pits" on their faces.
These pits have a relatively short effective range of about
how far?
A: 1 ft.
The ability to detect infrared radiation with the pits
enhances the rattlesnake's ability to what?
A: Hunt prey and identify predators during periods of low-level light.
