Rattlesnake fighting dance and when do they perform this behavior?

Rattlesnakes are one of the most famous predators in the world. It’s no wonder that their terrifying rattling sounds, muscular bodies, and sharp tusks terrify many people. Likewise, they also tend to contain some very potent venoms, which can make them dangerous to humans.

Don't feel too isolated, though, as rattlesnakes are willing to fight almost any animal. Many rattlesnakes will even fight with other rattlesnakes. During these battles, they display a unique behavior often called a battle dance.

Although they are known for their quick rattling and biting, these dances are quite graceful and usually not too violent! If you're interested in learning more about what rattlesnake fight dances are and when to use them, keep reading!

What is the Rattlesnake Fighting Dance?

Western rattlesnakes fight for mating rights, and most fighting dances end in a draw.

The rattlesnake fight dance is a fight between male rattlesnakes that occurs during the mating season. They are a form of intrasexual competition in which members of the same sex within a species compete for the attention (and possibly mating privileges) of the opposite sex. In rattlesnakes, this occurs between male rattlesnakes competing for the female.

Although you might imagine snakes fighting each other with their long fangs, their dance is quite gentle. When males encounter each other during mating season, they raise their posture and lift their heads into the air.

After sizing up its opponent, the male will twine its body and try to raise its head as high as possible. During the fight, they will try to push each other to the ground while trying to maintain a stiff posture. Therefore, this interweaving and writing by men is often described as a dance!

When does fighting dance appear?

These dances are very unique among rattlesnakes and occur only during male mating activity. Soon after emerging from hibernation, male snakes begin searching for females. In doing so, they may cross the path of another male, which is often how fights between males occur.

They do not display this behavior even during other parts of the reproductive process, such as when male and female snakes mate.

Rattlesnake breeding

Unlike other snakes, rattlesnakes are technically "alive," meaning they leave their egg sacks before they are born!

Now that you know more about the reasons behind mating, it might be helpful to learn more about their reproductive cycles.

Most snakes mate in the spring soon after emerging from hibernation. As mentioned before, male snakes will fight other male snakes to get a better chance of mating with nearby females.

When a male and female snake have close contact, the male will place his body on top of hers and rub his head against her body in an attempt to win her affection.

The gestation period of a rattlesnake lasts 167 days. They are also ovoviviparous, meaning the young pierce their egg sacs into their mother and are then born.

Do rattlesnakes always dance when they fight?

After hearing about the iconic battle dance, many people wonder if rattlesnakes also "dance" while fighting. Snakes don't usually dance in all fights, especially when fighting other animals.

Generally speaking, the "dance" as they are known is a highly evolved behavior that is only understood between members of the same species. Therefore, when they fight with other animals, they tend to display more aggressive behavior, such as rattling and baring their fangs.

animal tags： rattlesnake