LOOK OUT!

Snakes don't have voices, but the sounds they make definitely get our attention. And that's the idea: a snake that startles a predator may have time to slip away.

The most common snake noise is a hiss. Snakes make that sound by forcing air out through their throats-or breathing in deeply. Scientists think snake noises are just for animals that get too close-not for communicating with other snakes.

POP

When disturbed, this snake twists and rolls, sucking air into its vent, at the base of its tail, and blowing it out again. This species "pops" with such force that its tail end lifts up off the ground.

RATTLE

Few sounds are as chilling as the warning sound of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. To make the sound, the snake shakes the tip of its muscular tail, causing loose-fitting, interlocking rings to vibrate, sometimes as many as 50 times a second. The snake adds a new cone-shaped ring every time it sheds its skin.

Listen to the difference between Western Massasauga Snake rattle and that of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. The sound varies with the size of the snake; since this snake of the eastern woodlands is half the size of the Western Diamondback, it makes a higher-pitched sound. Temperature is also a factor; a cold snake rattles at a lower pitch than when it's warm.

RASP

This isn't a hiss: the Desert Horned Viper makes this strange sound by inflating its body, bending it into a 'C' shape and rubbing its ridged scales together very quickly. Species of snakes that scale-rub live in deserts or dry grasslands.

"SNORE"

The Eastern Hognose Snake hisses when it inhales and when it exhales. The effect may sound like a snore, but don't be fooled. The snake is awake-and scared.

BIG HISS

Brace yourself. The big nostrils on this snake act like the flare of a trumpet and make this hiss one of the loudest around.

PUFF ADDER
Bitis arietans

The Puff Adder is a large snake with highly toxic venom. It is responsible for most of the serious bites, some fatal, in southern Africa. The Puff Adder holds the world record for number of offspring for any snake, up to 156 live young. When disturbed, it assumes a strike posture and gives deep, hollow hiss.

LISTEN TO THE LIZARD: Water Monitor

Water Monitors like the one on display make this noise when disturbed.

LISTEN TO THE LIZARD: Barking Gecko*

*Western Massasauga Snake sound courtesy of Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, all rights reserved.

*Namibian Barking Gecko sound courtesy of Alan Channing, Univ. of the Western Cape, S. Africa.

All other sounds courtesy of Bruce Young, Washburn University.

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