Quote Originally Posted by Nutriaitch View Post
nothing scientific, just anecdotal, but allegedly snakes in Central and West Texas no longer rattle as often as a warning.
they have apparently "learned" that rattling sometimes attracts humans to kill them rather than avoid them, so that warning rattle is no longer a sure thing.

no clue if that's true, or just rumors that are floating around the area now.
Not sure, but it wouldn't be learning so much as survival of the least noticed & hardest to find. If they really knew what was going on ("round-ups") they'd be going ballistic, or should be.

I dream of our society becoming much more snake tolerant...as it is, harmless snakes are often killed too, in confusion. Gopher & bull snakes, for example, are great tail-shakers & in dry brush, it can sound like a "rattle". That's the excuse given, anyway.