Rattlesnake Sounds and Video

This is an 18 second recording of the rattling of a Northern Mohave Rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus, shown above.

This is a 10 second recording of rattling and hissing of the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox, shown above.

This is a 9 second recording of the faint rattling of a Mojave Sidewinder, Crotalus cerastes cerastes, shown above.

This is an 8 second recording of the rattling of a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus oreganus, shown above.

This is a recording of the rattle of a captive Great Basin Rattlesnake (not the snake shown above) recorded with the snake in a plastic bucket in cool temperatures. © Jeff Rice
(Listen to more recordings of this snake at the Western Soundscape Archive)
Not to be used without permission.

Indoor recording of the rattling of a captive adult Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (courtesy of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.) © Jeff Rice / Western Soundscape Archive Not to be used without permission.

A Northern Pacific Rattlesnake in Contra Costa County coils defensively, rattles, and senses the air with its tongue.

A coiled Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake rattles, uncoils, and crawls into a bush. (The sound has been deleted in the middle due to excessive background noise.)

Several views of a Northern Mohave Rattlesnake rattling and taking a defensive posture.

Several views of a Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake rattling and
taking a defensive pose with head and tail elevated, then crawling away.

A Mojave Sidewinder crawls slowly then very quickly over the sand showing its unique sideways locomotion.

A Colorado Desert Sidewinder crawls showing its unique sideways locomotion.

Burrowing Owls, Athene cunicularia, are known to imitate the sound of a rattlesnake when they are threatened, typically when a predator such as a ground squirrel attempts to enter their burrow. The sound is thought to scare off the predator. (See Batesian mimicry.)

This is a recording of three fledgling Burrowing Owls mimicing the sound of a rattlesnake, recorded at the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in southern Idaho.The birds were temporarily placed in a plastic bucket during a conservation study by Dr. James Belthoff of Boise State University.

© Jeff Rice
(Listen to more recordings of these owls at the Western Soundscape Archive)
Not to be used without permission.

Cicadas, during part of their performance, sound very much like the rattling of a rattlesnake. This is not really a mimic, but a sound that can be confused for a rattlesnake. It might even startle you if the insect suddenly starts rattling while you're walking through the desert. The cicada heard here was recorded during daylight in Pima County, Arizona. Cicadas in California's deserts make a similar sound. (The picture above shows a cicada photographed in Texas.) Notice the rattling sounds, followed by a loud electronic sound which is then followed by the rattling sound. Sometimes this is repeated many times.