[6] As only pressure on top of the horns will cause them to fold down, it is concluded that they strike against the roof of rodent burrows to protect their eyes.

Klauber and Neill describe the ability of this species to display different coloration depending on the temperature—a process known as metachrosis.

As its body progresses over loose sand, it forms a letter J-shaped impression, with the tip of the hook pointing in the direction of travel.

[12] In cybernetics, incorporating this control scheme into a snakebot can enable the robot to replicate sidewinding movement.

Adults lose this behavior as they make the transition from lizard prey to their primary diet of desert rodents, birds, and other snakes.

For the first week or so of their lives, neonatal sidewinders plug the entrance to this burrow during daylight hours, forming a dynamic multiple-individual mass that takes advantage of the hot exterior environment and the cool interior of the burrow to maintain an average aggregate temperature of 32 °C (the optimal temperature for shedding).

Like most other viperids, the young are born enveloped in thin embryonic membranes, from which they emerge shortly after being expelled from the mother.

Sidewinders mature at 2–3 years of age, are capable of reproducing annually, and give birth to live young.

The young stay at their natal burrow for 7–10 days until they shed,[16] and then they disappear and have no future contact with their mother or their littermates.

Thus, energetics apparently factor heavily into natural female mortality,[17] whereas predation might be the primary pressure on males.

In the wild, females often die of exhaustion after giving birth, but the lives of sidewinders are also cut short by predation, diseases, and vehicle encounters.

[18] Brown (1973) gives a venom yield of 33 mg (Klauber, 1956) and LD50 values for mice of 2.6 mg/kg IV, 3.0, 4.0, 2.3 mg/kg IP and 5.5 mg/kg SC for toxicity.

Envenomation's systemic symptoms include nausea, dizziness, chills, coagulopathy (blood disorders), and shock.

[18] Klauber (1997) includes an account of a man who had been bitten on the first joint of the index finger of the right hand, with only a single fang penetrating.

Consultation with a local expert or regional poison control center should be obtained before administering antivenom.