Na m e : ___ Date: _
Directions: Read the passage. Circle the main idea. Then, write True or False to answer
the questions.- The pygmy rattler is among the smaller
of the rattlesnake varieties.
____________________________- The timber rattler is a poisonous snake.
___________________________- Rattlesnakes eat birds and small mam-
mals.
___________________________- A rattlesnake does not always rattle
before striking.
___________________________Rattlers
Rattlesnakes are among the most
feared of reptiles. This fear is well-
deserved because, though most snakes
are harmless, rattlers are poisonous.
Some are large and some are small, but
all have the characteristic segments at
the end of their tails, which they shake
to produce the rattle sound.
Rattlers range in size from under two
feet to seven or more feet in length. The diamondback rattler, easily recognized by the
diamond-shaped markings along its back, is the most bulky of all poisonous snakes,
though not the longest. Other smaller rattlers include the pygmy rattlesnake and the
timber rattler.
It is believed by some that the age of a rattlesnake corresponds to the number of segments
of its rattle. But, actually a rattler adds a segment each time it sheds its skin—up to four
times a year. And, when about ten segments accumulate, they start to fall off.- There are more kinds of harmless snakes
than poisonous ones.
____________________________- A rattlesnake adds one rattle segment
per year.
___________________________- The diamondback rattler is the heaviest
of all poisonous snakes.
___________________________- Other poisonous snakes include the
cobra and coral snake.
___________________________