kind of, a series of interconnected buttons made from something similar to finger nail or maybe horn except very thin and see thru, the noise is made due to the loose connections between each button, they are hollow and empty and act as a amplifier of the noise. They did use them in rituals but a person cant shake them fast enough to rattle believe me I've tried. The older the snake the more buttons on the tail, they are added every time the snake sheds it skin.