Stepping on Rattlesnakes

Arizona biologist M. Cale Morris created an artificial leg (a boot on the end of an aluminum pole) to test the response of rattlesnakes to being stepped on.

He stepped on a total of 175 rattlesnakes and concluded that, despite popular belief, they're not very aggressive. The majority of the stepped-on rattlesnakes tried to crawl away without biting the fake leg.

More info: reddit, basisseniorprojects.com (pdf)

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Fri Mar 28, 2025
Category: Science | Experiments | Reptiles, Snakes, Worms and Other Slithery Things

Comments

It only takes one.

Posted by Jim on 03/28/25 at 02:38 PM

Pit vipers detect heat. The rattler could surely tell that it wasn't a real leg.

Posted by Dr. Fian on 03/29/25 at 09:52 AM