Reply To: Cricket Contest

[katelynna]

I had no idea Garters would do that! That is something I have not seen. The tail flicking is the least intimidating tactic aside from actually playing dead in my opinion. The hissing is what amazes me and, frankly, scares me a little. Because of their unique head structure (with the upturned scales on their snouts), they are able to blow air out very forcefully, and they do this while puffing up their bodies much like a rattlesnake does before it strikes. The volume of the hiss amazes me. I read somewhere that many used to refer to westerns as puff adders because of this hissing technique, and I can see how stumbling upon one in the wild could give someone quite a startle, especially if they are unfamiliar with snakes.