Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus • Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes, Family Viperidae, Subfamily Crotalinae, Genus Crotalus, Species C. adamanteus
Southeastern United States, coastal plain from North Carolina down through Florida, and west to southern Alabama and Mississippi.
Look up Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes, Family Viperidae, Subfamily Crotalinae, Genus Crotalus, Species C. adamanteus
Conservation
Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but populations have significantly declined due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and historical rattlesnake roundups. Under review for federal protection in portions of its range.
Physical Description
Distinctive dark brown or black diamond-shaped dorsal blotches outlined with cream or light yellow scales. Heavy body with strongly keeled dorsal scales, broad spade-shaped head, dark facial stripe running diagonally through the eye, vertical pupils, loreal pits between nostrils and eyes, and a prominent rattle at the end of the tail.
Size & Dimensions
Adults typically measure 3.5 to 5.5 feet (1.1 to 1.7 m) in length, with maximum recorded lengths reaching nearly 8 feet (2.4 m). Heavy-bodied build.
Habitat
Pine flatwoods, longleaf pine savannahs, palmetto thickets, coastal barrier islands, and sandy scrublands. Prefers dry, terrestrial microhabitats often utilizing gopher tortoise burrows for shelter.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily carnivorous, preying on small mammals such as rabbits, squirrels, and rodents, as well as terrestrial birds. Employs an ambush hunting strategy, relying on camouflage along animal paths.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous (live-bearing). Females give birth to litters of 8 to 21 live young, usually in late summer to early autumn after a gestation period of roughly 6 to 7 months.
Look-alikes
Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) which lacks the yellowish-outlined diamonds and has chevron bands; Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) which has distinct black-and-white tail bands and resides in a different geographic range.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but populations have significantly declined due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and historical rattlesnake roundups. Under review for federal protection in portions of its range.
Cultural Significance
Iconic symbol of the American Southeast, historic feature on early American revolutionary flags (e.g., the Gadsden flag 'Don't Tread on Me'), and plays a crucial ecological role as a top predator controlling rodent populations.
Notable Features
Features a multi-segmented segmented rattle composed of interlocking keratin rings that vibrates rapidly to produce a warning sound, specialized heat-sensing loreal pit organs, and strongly keeled scales.