Rattlesnakes can calm down their friends, study shows

By Liz Kimbrough If you stress out a rattlesnake, make sure it has a friend around. Much like humans, stressed snakes are calmed by a companion’s presence, according to new research. Stress can lead to increased hormone production, resulting in changes in the nervous system, immune response and behavior. Certain animals, like humans, can regulate their stress response when in the company of another animal of their species, which is referred to as social buffering. “We showed that when two snakes were together and experienced a stressful situation, they could buffer each other’s stress response…

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