Identify Baby Rattlesnakes - Look for certain characteristics. Baby rattlesnakes have triangular-shaped heads that are broader than their necks, and folding fangs and elliptical pupils instead of round ones. Also, they are born with only one segment on their rattle called a button, and their rattle is noiseless until after they shed their skin for the first time. At this time, they add another segment to their button.
Know where to look for them. Baby rattlesnakes tend to come out during a certain time of day and during certain temperature, so this makes avoiding them easier. Rattlesnakes cannot regulate their body temperature, so they aren't as active during chillier times of the day. Generally, you may spot a baby rattlesnake when the outside temperature reaches 50 degrees F or above. In colder temperatures, baby rattlesnakes can easily freeze to death if they're unprotected by a hole or shelter.
Identify Baby Rattlesnakes
Avoid certain locations when traveling. Most rattlesnakes are located in the Southwestern United States, and they extend north, east and south. In every adjacent state, one or more varieties of the rattlesnake can be found. Baby rattlesnakes live in many different biomes ranging from the inland prairies, along the coast at sea level to the mountains at elevations of more than 10,000 feet.
Watch for certain behaviors. Baby rattlesnakes as well as full-grown adult rattlesnakes usually congregate in the fall at crevices in rocky ledges to hibernate for the winter and return to these places every year. These places are known as snake dens. Rattlesnakes remain near the den entrance for a few days after emerging from hibernation to warm themselves.
Baby rattlesnakes are born without their rattle. Rattlesnakes lie dormant during the cold fall and winter months and awaken during the spring. Approximately 8,000 people per year get venomous snakebites in the United States, and 9 to 15 of those victims die, according to the FDA. Being able to identify a rattlesnake can help you avoid getting bitten by one. Here are a few suggestions for identifying a baby rattlesnake in almost any kind of environment. - by eHow
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