Facts About the Western Diamondback Rattle Snake

The western diamondback rattlesnake hunts small mammals and birds.

The western diamondback rattlesnake is a stout reptile capable of growing to lengths of seven feet and killing human beings with its venomous bite. The western diamondback rattlesnake subsists on a diet of small prey species. The snake will aggressively defend itself when it feels threatened, rather than retreat, as many other North American species will.

Features

The western diamondback can be identified by its telltale rattle made up of molted skin that builds up on the tip of its tail. Its head is triangular in shape, and it has a pair of pits positioned below the nostrils. The western diamondback rattlesnake can be gray, brown, yellow, pink or some combination of these shades. The snake has diamond-shaped patches on its back and the snake's tail has black and white rings encircling it.

Geography

The western diamondback rattlesnake has a large distribution, existing from central sections of Arkansas as far west as the desert regions of southern California. The northern boundary of the snake's range is northern Oklahoma and central sections of Arizona and New Mexico. The western diamondback rattlesnake can exist in many types of terrains, from deserts and arid rocky canyons to woodlands and brushy scrublands.

Diet

The diet of this venomous species includes animals that it can hunt down and bite as well as those it may successfully ambush. The western diamondback rattlesnake will position itself along the trails of rodents such as prairie dogs, chipmunks, ground squirrels, rabbits, mice, rats and gophers. A bite from the snake injects the venom and results in the death of the creature, allowing the rattler to swallow it whole. Birds are also part of the diet of this serpent.

Misconceptions

Many myths and misconceptions exist about the western diamondback rattlesnake. One is that it cannot cross over a rope made of horsehair, while another is that the snake can charm birds out of trees. The skin and rattles have no healing powers--despite stories to the contrary--and this species of snake does not swallow its babies when danger approaches, notes the Desert USA website. You cannot tell the age of a western diamondback rattlesnake by counting the number of rattles around the tail, because as new ones add onto it, older ones fall off.

Warning

The rattler injects venom via two long fangs in the upper jaw. These fold down when the snake is not using them and the snake grows a new set of fangs about every two months to replace the old ones as they wear down. The snake's venom is a hemotoxin, affecting the blood vessels and the heart. The western diamondback rattlesnake will flatten itself when threatened, roll its coils into a spiral and lift its front portion a bit off the ground to enable it to strike. A bite from this snake requires immediate attention.

References

• Desert USA: Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
• Who Zoo: Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
• "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians"; John L. Behler: 2008