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Is anything more frightening than the sound of a rattlesnake rattling in the wilderness? First you hear a sound that resembles the rapid clicking together of dried bones. As the rattler shakes its tail faster, it sounds more like the angry buzz of an insect or the hiss of escaping steam.

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That sound doesn’t mean that the rattler is about to attack. A rattlesnake shakes its tail to warn away enemies and give itself time to escape. Its rattle can save the snake from being stepped on by a horse, or attacked by a dog. A rattler would rather rattle than fight. If possible, a rattlesnake will always move away from danger by slithering into a hole or behind a rock. But if it’s cornered or taken by surprise then it may strike and bite without rattling. People are bitten because they step on rattlesnakes, get too close, or try to pick one up.

A baby rattlesnake has no rattle. All it has is a small hard “button” at the tip of its tail. The first time it sheds its skin; it loses the baby button and gains its first real rattle. From then on, it gets a new rattle every time it sheds its skin. Each rattle is a dry, hollow scale connected loosely to the scales on either side.

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Since a rattler may shed its skin several times a year, you can tell its age by counting its rattles. Also, it may lose some of its rattles as it squeezes between rocks or hooks its tail on twigs. And it may shake its tail so hard, it actually shakes off a rattle or two.

Strangely enough, a rattlesnake can’t hear its own rattle. Snakes have no ears, and they can’t hear sounds as we do.

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