Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Crotalus, Species: Crotalus atrox
Found in the southwestern United States (including Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) and northern Mexico (including Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, and Coahuila).
Look up Western Diamondback Rattlesnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Crotalus, Species: Crotalus atrox
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, deliberate eradication, and the illegal pet trade.
Physical Description
Features a light grayish-brown, yellowish-brown, or pinkish background color overlaid with a series of dark diamond-shaped blotches down the back, bordered by lighter scales. The tail is distinctly marked with alternating black and white rings. The head is broad and triangular, distinct from the neck, with vertical pupils and thermal-sensing pit organs between the eye and nostril.
Size & Dimensions
This specimen appears to be a juvenile, roughly 30 to 45 cm in length. Adults typically grow to between 90 and 150 cm, with maximum recorded lengths approaching 210 cm.
Habitat
Inhabits arid and semi-arid regions, desert flats, rocky hillsides, coastal plains, canyons, and brushy areas from below sea level up to around 2,000 meters elevation.
Diet & Feeding
Preys primarily on small mammals such as rodents (mice, rats, ground squirrels, and rabbits), as well as occasional birds and lizards. It is an ambush predator that relies on specialized sensory pits to locate warm-blooded prey.
Reproduction
Viviparous (gives live birth). Mating typically occurs in spring after emerging from brumation, and females give birth to litters averaging 5 to 25 young in late summer or autumn.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, deliberate eradication, and the illegal pet trade.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role as an apex predator regulating rodent populations in desert and arid ecosystems. Culturally featured prominently in the folklore, art, and symbolism of indigenous peoples and the American Southwest.
Notable Features
Features a specialized keratin rattle at the end of the tail composed of loose interlocking segments that vibrate rapidly to produce a distinct buzzing warning sound when threatened.