Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) lives in rocky mountains across Western North America. It feeds on small mammals rodents.
Fascinating facts about the Western Rattlesnake
- Studies show that the diet of C. oreganus can significantly impact their size. For example it was found that there was a major size difference between snakes that eat lizards and snakes that eat birds and mammals (lizard based diet snakes were much smaller). Californian C. oreganus were found to have a higher proportion of lizard in their diet which may be correlated to the large population of lizards in the state.
- Males become breeding-ready after two to four years, usually in their third spring, while females wait longer, three to seven years, most first birthing at four. Litters range from one to fifteen young (average three to eight), born in late summer, each newborn measuring 19-28 cm.
- In Canada the Western rattlesnake was listed as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in 2015 and placed on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act. Researchers found a direct negative correlation between body condition (mass per unit body length) and human activity in British Columbia.
- Mainland Western rattlesnakes usually grow to about a meter long, but the record holder measured a staggering 162.6 cm (64.0 in), documented by Klauber in 1956.
- A young Western rattlesnake's bite is deadlier than an adult's. The "venom composition" of C. oreganus' venom changes "ontogenetically" with smaller snakes having more toxic venom.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeWestern North America
HabitatRocky mountains
DietSmall mammals rodents
About the Western Rattlesnake
As the sun-baked rocks of the western wilderness come alive, a sinuous form unwinds, its dusty coils glistening like burnished leather as the Western Rattlesnake slips silently through the underbrush. With each deliberate movement, the snake's tail vibrates in a low, ominous hum, a warning to potential threats that this master of stealth and patience is ever vigilant, its venomous fangs at the ready. In this arid kingdom, the Western Rattlesnake reigns as a formidable and enigmatic monarch, its ancient, unblinking eyes drinking in the secrets of the desert landscape.
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