Ginormous Rattler

[GIBrat51]

Snakes evolved from some kind of lizard about 150 million years ago (late Cretaceous-early Jurassic). I don't think they had to worry too much about cave men back then (well, Alley Oop, maybe..). Snakes that rely on their venom to kill prey can't afford to waste it on things they can't eat - like clumsy humans. But, since they have no legs or claws, hiding or biting you is their only defense; although garter snakes will pee on you.... So it makes good evolutionary sense to have a warning system to try and scare you off. A lot of vipers - like rattlesnakes - can actually control their venom system to the point that they can bite you without injecting anything - but I wouldn't count on it. Personally, I think it's kind of sad to kill a snake that big. It took a long time for a rattler to grow that size; now it's dead, and for what? A selfie..

 

[Downunderwonder]

So rattling at big cats and eagles was the payoff during the accendancy of mammals.

 

[Snakeman1066]

Snakes evolved from some kind of lizard about 150 million years ago (late Cretaceous-early Jurassic). I don't think they had to worry too much about cave men back then (well, Alley Oop, maybe..). Snakes that rely on their venom to kill prey can't afford to waste it on things they can't eat - like clumsy humans -, but since they have no legs or claws, hiding or biting you is their only defense; although garter snakes will pee on you... So it makes good evolutionary sense to have a warning system to try and scare you off. A lot of vipers - like rattlesnakes - can actually control their venom system to the point that they can bite you without injecting anything - but I wouldn't count on it. Personally, I think it's kind of sad to kill a snake that big. It took a long time for a rattler to grow that size; now it's dead, and for what? A selfie..

it's estimated that 7 out of every 10 bites delivered as a warning are dry bites

 

[Lobster11]

it's estimated that 7 out of every 10 bites delivered as a warning are dry bites

I also heard somewhere that the youngsters are actually more dangerous that the big ones because they lack the ability to control venom delivery, so their bites are almost never dry. Anybody know for sure if that's true?

 

[Snakeman1066]

More of a legend or old wives tale ...See:

Venom Metering Hypothesis
Pressure Balance Hypothesis

there are a few articles or monographs out there on the above two subjects you should read if your interested. Studies on the subject have indicated snakes inject different amounts of venom in different situations, but the trends are sometimes inconsistent. A recent review of studies on the subject suggested although some researchers have documented trends in venom injection, there isn’t compelling evidence to suggest that it was necessarily controlled via any decision by the snake. Even assuming a bite from a young snake that has no control over the amount of venom it injects is more dangerous than a learned adult, keep in mind that there are some big snakes out there, and just a fraction of their total venom capacity could be more than 100% of a young snake’s potential venom output.

so the long answer to the question....it simply has not been researched enough

which makes the short answer NO they are not any more dangerous than adults

 

[Snakeman1066]

So rattling at big cats and eagles was the payoff during the accendancy of mammals.

more likely that the other animals learned the rattle was equated with sickness or death

 

[Downunderwonder]

more likely that the other animals learned the rattle was equated with sickness or death

I learned that from TV. Getting a surprise from a rattlesnake myself one time I can tell you the fear engendered by the rarttle seemed quite primal from the getgo. Not for my travelling companion though. Maybe he didn't watch TV.

So vipers were around and eating other reptiles as mammals got bigger and started eating reptiles and each other, and reptiles diminished but the mouse supply skyrocketed.

At some point rattlesnakes rattled at solitary pedators too big to eat and growing to 8ft or more meant less to rattle at and more to eat.

Humans came along and liked roast snake. So if they came across one they would surround it with long sticks and rocks and have at it until it lost. Or not, it seems from the evidence.

Say five wanderers came across meat for a week rattling in the grass. Seems instead of tracking it and gathering up tools and more manpower they ran for the hills.

Then the guns came along and rattling became counter evolutionary in less than a century.