Misunderstood Rattlesnakes Have a Cute Side, Study Finds

Warm and cuddly are adjectives that rarely come to mind when thinking of rattlesnakes, but a new study could change that image.

The research, from Loma Linda University in the US, near San Bernardino (California), seeks to show that these poisonous snakes seem to feel comfortable when they are close to their own species, as is the case with people.

According to the study, published this week in the journal Frontiers in Ethology, the snakes seem to feel well-being when they squirm in a kind of group hug with other rattlesnakes.

The findings, by Chelsea Martin, a Loma Linda biology doctoral student, and her adviser William Hayes, professor of Earth and Biological Sciences, challenge the idea that reptiles are solitary hunters displaying few complex social behaviors.

Ethology, the study of animal behavior, has long recognized that birds and mammals, including humans, feel comfortable being physically close to their own kind. This close proximity tends to relax reptiles, slow their heart rates and reduce stress, Hayes says.

“Unfortunately for rattlesnakes and other lower vertebrates and invertebrates, we rarely give them that credit.”says Hayes. “People are willing to just cut their heads off,” the expert said, adding that “animals are sensitive, capable of emotions.”

The idea for the study came to Hayes in his spare time, when he often has to deal with rattlesnakes caught by homeowners in the mountains of southern California.

When putting them in a bucket to take them safely to their natural habitat, notice that when there are two or more, the rattling tends to calm down.

The calming effect that occurs when they are close to their own kind is called social buffering. “It tells us that when they are with another snake their stress response decreases”explains Martin. “It had never been observed in reptiles. It’s something humans do.”

To measure the stress levels of the snakes, Martin used a heart rate monitor designed for humans. “It lets us know, as humans, that we are not that different from these snakes”explained. “They are doing something that we do.”

Source: Reuters