Caudal luring

Caudal luring is a form of aggressive mimicry characterized by the waving or wriggling of the predator's tail to attract prey.

[8][9][10] When the snake is foraging, it waits coiled up with its tail elevated and visible, wiggling around in a way that mimics a smaller animal and captures the attention of its prey.

[13] The tails of juvenile snakes are typically conspicuously colored and fade to become more similar to the rest of the body with age.

[4] It has been suggested that caudal luring was involved in the evolution of the tail vibration rattle of rattlesnakes, a warning signal and a way of auditory communication, though this has been challenged.

[18][19][20][5] Prey luring, in general, is confounded by false interpretation, as the wiggling of an appendage could have other behavioral meanings including aposematism, defense, or nervous release, and experimental evidence has been weak.

Essentially, the act of remaining stationary while sensing prey produces general nervous system excitation that gets released in the form of tail movements.

[22] The difference is in the snake's posture and especially in the nature and outcome of the behavior in reference to the encounter with prey.

[22] Other caudal luring-like movements occur as warning signals and are induced by stressful circumstances.