Snakes
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus
atrox
Description
34-83 7/8 " (86.4-213 cm). Largest
western rattlesnake. Heavy-bodied with large head sharply distinct
from neck. Back patterned with light-bordered dark diamonds or
hexagonal blotches; blotches often obscured by randomly distributed
small dark spots, which give back a mottled or dusky look. 2 light
diagonal lines on side of face; stripe behind eye meets upper lip
well in front of angle of jaw. Tail encircled by broad black and
white rings. Scales keeled, in 25-27 rows.
Warning
This is one of the more dangerous
rattlers, capable of delivering a fatal bite. When disturbed it
usually stands its ground, lifts its head well above its coils, and
sounds a buzzing warning. Take heed! Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, and
Cottonmouths belong to the pit viper family (Viperidae). These
dangerous snakes have a heat-sensitive sensory organ on each side of
the head that enables them to locate warm-blooded prey and strike
accurately, even in the dark. The curved, hollow fangs are normally
folded back along the jaw. When a pit viper strikes, the fangs
rapidly swing forward and fill with venom as the mouth opens. The
venom is a complex mixture of proteins that acts primarily on a
victim's blood tissue. If you hear a rattlesnake shaking its rattle,
back away. The snake is issuing a warning, and if the warning is
ignored it may bite. Pit vipers are never safe to handle. Even dead
ones can retain some neurological reflexes, and "road kills" have
been known to bite.
How to avoid and treat snakebites
Breeding
Mates late March to May and in fall;
4-25 young, 8 1/2-13" (21.5-33 cm) long, are born in late summer.
Females mature in 3 years.
Habitat
Arid and semiarid areas from plains to
mountains; brushy desert, rocky canyons, bluffs along rivers,
sparsely vegetated rocky foothills; sea level to 7,000' (2,100
m).
Range
Se. California eastward to c. Arkansas
south into n. Mexico.
Discussion
The "coon tail rattler" is active late
in the day and at night during hot summer months. Eats rodents and
birds. Record longevity is nearly 26
years.
Snakes