Diamondback Rattlesnakes

Introduction

The Western Diamondback rattlesnake is the archetypal rattlesnake of the US. Diamondback rattlesnakes are the rattlesnake responsible for most rattlesnake envenomations in the US, and bites from both the Eastern and Western Diamondback rattlesnake can be deadly.

Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake

The Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus adamanteus can reach a length of six feet although the average size is somewhere between 1 and 1½ meters with males larger than females. Its body is patterned with a row of black diamond shaped markings. Its favorite prey's is rodents such as rats and squirrels, but they also eat other snakes and birds. Eastern Diamondbacks are not afraid to swim, and Eastern Diamondback rattlesnakes have colonized many islands along the coastline of Florida. When they bite they are known to inject rather large quantities of venom that must be treated with much antivenom as well. The Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake is probably the snake responsible for most rattlesnake envenomation in the US¹, sharply followed by the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.

Western Diamondback rattlesnake

The Western Diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus atroxis one of the more aggressive rattlesnakes in the US and it doesn't back away from confrontations. That's also why people from time to time engage in rattlesnake round-ups where this and other rattlesnakes are forced up from their shelters and killed. Most of their diet consist of small rodents. As adults they have no natural enemies but young and adolescent individuals are preyed upon by hawks and eagles. A study from 1973 showed ² that Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes had a bimodal activity pattern with activity during the morning and evening, but only very limited activity during the hottest hours of the day.

References

1. Norris, R. Venom Poisoning in North American Reptiles Campbell J.A., Lamar W.W. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates pp. 870 (2004)
2. Landreth, H.F. Orientation and behavior of the Rattlesnake, Crotalus Atrox Copeia pp. 26-31 (1) 1973.