rattlesnake
Tail-shaking viper
A rattlesnake is a venomous American pit viper with a segmented rattle at the end of its tail that buzzes when the snake feels threatened.
The warning sound is distinctive and immediately recognizable: We froze when we heard the rattlesnake.
Rattlesnakes range from the southwestern deserts to eastern forests, and their bite can be fatal without treatment.
Continuous low drone
- hissSharp sibilant sound
- coilWound circular arrangement
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- alertWarning or watchfulness
caution · defensive · startle · signal · shake · audible · distinctive · unmistakable
Devoid of water
- sandFine rock particles
- dunesWind-formed sand ridges
- cactusSpiny desert plant
- saguaroColumnar desert cactus
mesa · scrubland · arroyo · sunbaked · chaparral · tumbleweed · creosote · yucca
Reptile with lozenge-shaped scales
- sidewinderSnake that moves diagonally
- timberWood for construction
- pygmyExtremely small being
- prairieOpen grassy flatland
western · eastern · canebrake · neotropical · speckled · blacktail · rock · tiger
Sharp piercing teeth
- bitePierce with teeth
- venomousProducing injected toxins
- neurotoxicDamaging to nervous system
- hemotoxicPoisonous to blood tissue
antivenom · envenomation · toxin · cytotoxin · necrosis · lethal · deadly · poisonous
Plates or weighing devices
- cold-bloodedUnfeeling or externally heated
- ectothermicTemperature set by surroundings
- slitherGlide smoothly, sinuously
- serpentCunning, limbless reptile
forked-tongue · shed · camouflage · ambush · predator · carnivore · rodents · prey
buzz
Continuous low drone
alert · caution · defensive · startle · signal · shake · audible · distinctive · unmistakable · recognize
arid
Devoid of water
saguaro · mesa · scrubland · arroyo · sunbaked · chaparral · tumbleweed · creosote · yucca · cholla
diamondback
Reptile with lozenge-shaped scales
- sidewinderSnake that moves diagonally
- timberWood for construction
- pygmyExtremely small being
prairie · western · eastern · canebrake · neotropical · speckled · blacktail · rock · tiger
fangs
Sharp piercing teeth
- bitePierce with teeth
- venomousProducing injected toxins
- neurotoxicDamaging to nervous system
hemotoxic · antivenom · envenomation · toxin · cytotoxin · necrosis · lethal · deadly · poisonous · anaphylaxis
scales
Plates or weighing devices
- cold-bloodedUnfeeling or externally heated
- ectothermicTemperature set by surroundings
- slitherGlide smoothly, sinuously
serpent · forked-tongue · shed · camouflage · ambush · predator · carnivore · rodents · prey · burrow
cowboy
Mounted cattle herder
- compound wordsbookmark, breakdown, sunlight, breakup, snowflake
- desertsand, sand dunes, sand dune, dune, dunes
- North American Naturebald eagle, American bison, bison, grizzly bear, raccoon
- ambush predatorscrocodile, alligator, trapdoor spider, anglerfish, praying mantis
- American WildernessGrand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Everglades, Rocky Mountains
- American Wildliferaccoon, bison, bald eagle, grizzly bear, beaver
rattlesnakeconstrictor
Snake killing by compression
boa constrictor · python · anaconda · boa · garter snake
rattlesnakegarter snake
Small harmless North American serpent
garden snake · milk snake · corn snake · king snake · grass snake
rattlesnakeblack mamba
Swift African pit viper
ambush predator · fer-de-lance · bushmaster · copperhead · cobra
- rattlesnake biteToxic serpent puncture wound
- diamondback rattlesnakeVenomous American pit-viper
- timber rattlesnakeVenomous North American pit viper
- rattlesnake venomToxic fang secretion