Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After watching a night of reptile shows on Animal Planet, I had a question. Do non-venomous snakes that live where there are no rattlesnakes vibrate thier tails as a warning like a lot of non-venomous snakes do here in North America? Can anybody help me out with this one?

I don't know about that... but the one time my large female florida blue garter bit me she warned me EXACTLY like a cotton mouth would. This is she got into a strike possition and opened her mouth... and held it open ... just like a cotton mouth/water moccosin would.

Unfortantly I had to move her so she bit me. oh well that's the only time.
I could only think it was a mimic behavor because she comes from an area where there are cotton mouths. It was the darnest thing I ever saw.
So I suppose it's possible to get a snake that rattles its tail without it being a true rattlesnake.

- Sharon

Kingsnakes, gophersnakes, milksnakes, rat snakes, ect will rattle their tails. I have even seen hogs do it once or twice. Andy
-----
Andy Maddox
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

Sry, didnt read the question right. These snakes still vibrate their tails even where they are not rattlers as rattlers do not span the continent while many colubrid species do. Andy
-----
Andy Maddox
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

I have some Asian ratsnakes who are avid tail rattlers and of course do not in any way share a range with rattlesnakes. My American rat and king do it too though. Tail rattling is a widespread defense mechanism in advanced snakes, the rattlers just took it a step further. So this probably isn't a case of mimicry.

My wild caught adult male Mandarin tail rattles like any North American rat snake. Could be parallel evolution. Anyone know if snakes in Australia or Africa do the same?

That's what I have, mandarins. My beauty snake doesn't do it, though. I've read things that made it sound more widespread, but they didn't name names.

a colubrid will offen "rattel" like crazy, even the ones that have no crotalus or sistrrus "ratlers".

Even in some of the more primitive snakes, tail movement is a common defensive strategy.

African Burrowing "Pythons" (Calabaria) will coil in a ball when sufficiently disturbed, but prior to that, they will lie very still and slowly twitch their tails. Whether this is a precursor to colubrid tail rattling or (more likely) behavioral convergence is debatable.

Many other venomous species also are tail rattles/twitchers.
-----
Chris Harrison

I could really really swear that my Calabar mock strikes with her tail... am I imagining that? I'll be holding her (balled up of course) and her tail will rise up and whap me in the hand. Other than that I think that Rubber boas and probably a few of the other sand boas (indians maybe?) do similar things.
Now you've got me thinking about a thread down in the venomous forum... I wonder if the evolution of caudal luring and defensive tail movements have any relationship?