western diamondback rattlesnake2

By: Sean Patten

It is usually a dusty looking brown to gray, some are a reddish to pinkish gray . It is 3 to 4 feet long and about

5-10 pounds. It is a reptile. Wherever its habitat is it blends in. Its advantages are camouflage , rattle,

fangs with loaded venom , good eyesight in the dark , and a lower jaw.

The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake lives in California, Texas, Mexico, New Mexico, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, Colorado, and other western states. It’s life zone is high desert and rocky areas. It adapts to its surroundings for food.

It eats other snake eggs, mice, small rodents , and lizards . To kill it bites its prey and venom travels into its prey. Once it feeds it can go several weeks without eating. The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake eats normally at night. Its venom, teeth, and strength help it get its food.

The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake lives to be up to 20 years old . This animal normally has 10-20 babies a year, its gestation length is about 167 days . The guardian of the young only stays with the young for a few hours. Once left alone the babies have to find their own food, and they can be killed very easily. As an adult they also find their food . They get in fights. They have many predators.

Did you know that the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake swallows its food whole?

Did you know that it has a pit organ in between its eyes and its nostrils?

Gerholdt, James E. Diamondback Rattlesnakes. Edina,, MN: Abdo & Daughters, 1996.

Rennicke, Jeff. Colorado Wildlife. Helena and Billings, , MT: Colorado Division of Wildlife, 1996.

Gerholdt, James E. "Western Diamondback Rattlesnake." http;//www.thebigzoo.com 2 Apr. 2009