Mark your calendars: Our 2016 Rattlesnake Season has officially begun!
Today’s Rattler Spotlight: The Western Diamondback
The Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) is a heavy bodied snake with a triangular shaped head. There are two dark diagonal lines on each side of its face running from the eyes to its jaws. It has dark diamond-shaped patterns along is back. The tail has black and white bands just above the rattles.
Click to hear Western Diamondback sounds
Western diamondbacks are pit vipers. This means that they have a heat sensing pit (loreal pit) located behind each nostril that can detect differences in temperature, sometimes differences that are only a fraction of a degree apart. The heat given off by an animal is detected by the snake helping it to determine predator from prey.
This snake is considered a generalist, which means that it isn't too picky about its habitat. It can be found living in deserts, grassy plains, forests, rocky hillsides and areas along the coast. It lives in elevations from below sea level up to 6500 feet (2000m).
This species ranges throughout the southwestern United States (Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas)and northern half of Mexico.
Currently, western diamondback rattlesnakes are not threatened or endangered.
Mice, rats, rabbits, gophers, ground dwelling birds, lizards and other small animals make up the diet of this snake.
Diamondbacks have many predators and not always because the predator wants to eat them. Animals such as deer, antelope, cows and horses regard the diamondback as a threat and they may try to trample or stomp the snake. Eagles, hawks, roadrunners, kingsnakes, coyote, bobcats or fox are predators who look at these snakes as a source of food.
Diamondbacks will often spend the hot daytime hours coiled in the shade of low-growing shrubs, piles of natural or artificial debris, or rocks. They will also utilize underground burrows of other animals. In the winter, they retreat into caves or similar places to hibernate.
These snakes can live approximately 15-20 years in captivity.
This snake ranges in size from 3 to 5 feet long with a few reaching 7 feet long.
The largest western diamondback rattlesnake measures around 6.99ft
Until the age of maturity, males are considerably greater in size as compared to females while after the maturity age both turns out to be equal.
The weight of these rattlesnakes measure around 4.0 – 6.0 lb, with few species can also weigh around 15 lb.
The western diamondback rattlesnakes exhibit array of different colors such as pinkish, yellowish, grayish-brown color, brick red, and chalky white.
There are around dark brown 24 to 25 dorsal body markings.
The tail has 2 to 8 black bands that are separated by interspaces.
The average lifespan of western diamondback rattlesnakes is 20 years.
They are generally solitary species and are considered to be the most dangerous snakes across North America since they do not back off from the confrontation, if any.
The rattlesnakes normally display inactive behavior in the months of October and March.
