Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
The
Western Diamondback is Arizona's largest rattlesnake species, reaching lengths
between 30" and 84", with an average of 3 to 4' for mature specimens.
Peppered gray-brown diamond shaped blotches run dorsally along the back, with
smaller diamonds on the sides. The background color is usually gray or brown.
Some specimens may have a pink or orange cast strongest towards the tail. The
tail has broad alternating white and black rings. The eye stripe crosses the lip
in front of the corner of the mouth.
The
Western Diamondback is known to frequent a variety of habitats in arid and
semiarid regions including desert, grassland, shrubland, woodland, and pine
forest. Within these areas they occur on sandy flats, rocky cliffs, canyons, and
rank growth of river bottoms. The diamondback seems to prefer
the rockier and more densely vegetated Sonoran upland habitat above the basins
within Arizona.
This
snake is found around the clock when conditions are favorable. Eats a wide
variety of prey, including mice, rats, ground squirrels, rabbits, lizards, birds
and occasionally amphibians. I have seen this species take road killed carrion
and once have seen one consuming a bird in a rain gutter. This last encounter is
one I favor to be extremely rare, and do not believe this species normally preys
on animals in this fashion.
Because
of its large size, abundance and widespread geographic distribution, this
rattlesnake species causes the greatest number of serious snake bite cases in
the U.S and is one of the longest venomous snakes in the U.S.