Most rattlesnake species mate during the summer or fall, while some species mate only in the spring, or during both the spring and fall. [66]

Creases in the epidermal tissue connect the scales of rattlesnakes. When ingesting large prey, these creases can unfold, allowing the skin to expand to envelop a much greater volume. The skin appears to tightly stretch to accommodate the meal, but in reality, the skin is simply smoothing out from its creased state and is not under very high tension. [65] Reproduction [ edit ] Two male northern Pacific rattlesnakes ( C. oreganus oreganus) engage in a "combat dance" Everted hemipenis of a male C. adamanteus Flaubert, Laurence M. (1997). Rattlesnakes: Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. Vol.1. University of California Press. pp.384–389. ISBN 978-0520210561.Hammerson, Geoffrey A. (2004). Connecticut wildlife: biodiversity, natural history, and conservation. UPNE. p.328. ISBN 978-1-58465-369-1. Read, Kay A.; González, Jason J., eds. (2002). "Feathered Serpents". Mesoamerican Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs of Mexico and Central America. Oxford University Press. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-19-514909-8. Lewis, Meriwether; Clark, William; Floyd, Charles (1904), Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804–1806, vol.1, p.257 . Rattlesnakes tend to avoid developed areas, preferring undisturbed, natural habitats. Rapid habitat destruction by humans, mass killings during events such as rattlesnake round-ups, and deliberate extermination campaigns all pose threats to rattlesnake populations in many areas. Several species, such as the timber rattlesnake, massasauga, and canebrake rattlesnake, are listed as threatened or endangered in many U.S. states. [79] Amerello, Melissa; Smith, Jeffrey; Slone, John (2011). "Family values: Maternal care in rattlesnakes is more than mere attendance". Nature Precedings. doi: 10.1038/npre.2011.6671.1.

a b Adams, Clark E. & Thomas, John K. (2008). Texas Rattlesnake Roundups. Texas A&M University Press. p.2. ISBN 978-1-60344-035-6. Werler, John E.; Dixon, James Ray, eds. (2000). Texas snakes: identification, distribution, and natural history. University of Texas Press. p.3. ISBN 978-0-292-79130-5. Lessenger, James E., ed. (2006). Agricultural medicine: a practical guide. Birkhäuser. p.447. ISBN 978-0-387-25425-8. Rattlesnakes are the leading cause of snakebite injuries in North America and a significant cause in Central and South America. [43] [81] Avoiding bites [ edit ]Burton, Maurice; Burton, Robert, eds. (1970). "Rattlesnake". The international wildlife encyclopedia, Volume 1. Marshall Cavendish. p.2119. ISBN 978-0-7614-7266-7. Glenn, J. L.; R. C. Straight. 1982. "The rattlesnakes and their venom yield and lethal toxicity". In: Tu, A. (ed) Rattlesnake Venoms, Their Actions and Treatment. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. This article is about the reptile. For other uses, see Rattlesnake (disambiguation) and Rattler (disambiguation). Rattlesnake Jensen, Bjarke; Abe, Augusto S.; Andrade, Denis V.; Nyengaard, Jens R.; Wang, Tobias (2010). "The heart of the South American rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus". Journal of Morphology. 271 (9): 1066–1077. doi: 10.1002/jmor.10854. ISSN 1097-4687. PMID 20730920. S2CID 206091017. Hubbs, Brian & Brendan O'Connor (2012). A Guide to the Rattlesnakes and other Venomous Serpents of the United States. Tricolor Books. Tempe, Arizona. ISBN 978-0-9754641-3-7.

Campbell, Angela L.; Naik, Rajesh R.; Sowards, Laura; Stone, Morley O. (2002). "Biological Infrared Imaging and Sensing". Micron. 33 (2): 211–225. doi: 10.1016/S0968-4328(01)00010-5. PMID 11567889. Meier, Jürg; White, Julian, eds. (1995). Handbook of clinical toxicology of animal venoms and poisons, Volume 236. CRC Press. p.639. ISBN 978-0-8493-4489-3. In 2016, Allf et al published a paper proposing behavioral plasticity as the mechanism by which the rattling system evolved in rattlesnakes. [51] [52] [53] In the case of rattlesnakes, Allf et al proposed that tail vibration in response to predator threat could be the precursor for the rattling system in rattlesnakes, an example of behavioral plasticity. [51] To investigate this hypothesis, the researchers analyzed tail vibration and relatedness to rattlesnakes among snakes in the families Viperidae and Colubridae. Their results demonstrated that the more closely related a species was to rattlesnakes, the more similar that species was to rattlesnakes in both duration and rate of tail vibration. [51] These results strongly support the hypothesis that tail vibration preceded the rattling system as a behavior and allowed for the rattle to be selected for once developed. Even a small, underdeveloped rattle early in the evolution of the rattling system could have been advantageous if tail vibration was an ancestral behavior. [54]Klauber, Laurence M. & Greene, Harry W. (1997). Rattlesnakes: their habits, life histories, and influence on mankind. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-21056-1. Adams, Clark E. & Thomas, John K. (2008). Texas Rattlesnake Roundups. Texas A&M University Press. p.23. ISBN 978-1-60344-035-6.

Whitford, Malachi (2020). "The effects of temperature on the defensive strikes of rattlesnakes" (PDF). Journal of Experimental Biology. 223 (Pt 14). doi: 10.1242/jeb.223859. PMID 32561628. S2CID 219951376. In the colder winter months, some rattlesnake species enter a period of brumation, which is dormancy similar to hibernation. Kini, R. Manjunatha; etal., eds. (2011). Toxins and Hemostasis. Springer 2011. p.99. ISBN 978-90-481-9294-6. Palmer, Thomas (2004). Landscape with Reptile: Rattlesnakes in an Urban World. Globe Pequot. ISBN 978-1-59228-000-1. An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with about five deaths. [88] The most important factor in survival following a severe envenomation is the time elapsed between the bite and treatment. Most deaths occur between 6 and 48 hours after the bite. If antivenom treatment is given within two hours of the bite, the probability of recovery is greater than 99%. [89]

a b Gupta, Ramesh Chandra, ed. (2007). Veterinary toxicology: basic and clinical principles. Academic Press. pp.800–801. ISBN 978-0-12-370467-2.