Each time a rattlesnake sheds, a new rattle segment is added at the base of the tail. Each shedding carries the button farther from the tail base. Because buttons and rattle segments can easily be lost and shedding rates vary widely, counting rattle segments is not an accurate way to determine the age of a snake. Food, feeding Pennsylvania snakes have varied diets, although all are carnivorous. Food choices include insects, worms, amphibians, reptiles, birds and small mammals.
Some snakes display distinct food preferences.
For example, eastern hognose snakes specialize in consuming toads and frogs. This snake is unaffected by the distasteful toxins that toads often secrete from their parotoid glands. Black rat snakes are excellent climbers and often forage on small birds or their eggs. Snakes are an integral part of the food web in any environment. As a predator, they are important in maintaining the fitness of the animals they prey on.