Western Diamondback Rattler - remember to watch where you step in Texas

[Gaius Baltar]

Crotalus atrox, the Western Diamondback Rattler, can reach 7ft in length and 25 years in age. Its tell-tale back is lined with black diamond shaped discolorations (hence the term diamondback), on lighter colored surroundings scales. The triangular head has two dark stripes, running from the eyes back to the jaws. Its tail has alternating patterns of black and white bands. The tail generally sports 2-3 rattles (composed of dead skin) per year of growth.



Crotalus atrox belongs to a family of aprox. 100 snakes refered to as "pit vipers", due to its special organs for heat reception found in pits just behind the nostrils and covered by a thin membrane. Pit vipers have long, hollow erectile fangs that are built to deliver a venom that causes tissue damage, bleeding and swelling. The venom is classified as proteolytic (intramolecular digestion), cytotoxic (kills cells), hemotoxic (kills red blood cells), hemmorrhagic (persistent bleeding), myotoxic (muscle paralysis and death). Neurotoxins (kills nervous system cells) are also present. These snakes are one of the most dangerous in the world.
The Western Diamond back feeds primarily on small rodents, birds or just about anything it can swallow. This snake is common to the arid areas of the Southwest United States and northern Mexico, and theislands of the Gulf of California.
The specimen below was found about 70 miles west of my present location near an old Army airbase. Listed at 9ft, 1 inch, 97 lbs. This would make it one of the largest specimens ever recorded.



Personally, I can testify that snakes reach very large proportions in this area of Texas. Near the many Corp of Engineer lakes and natural rivers, there is an abundance of Western Diamondback rattlers, Copperheads, and WaterMoccasins (Cottonmouths). I and my family members have observed on numerous occassions near our lake home 6ft plus members of all these groups. We have had several dogs, and apparantly cats fall prey to their bite, and one family member has been received a bite from a large Copperhead, which required a week of hospitilization.
In general, we always look under objects we are going to move (lawnmowers, etc) and are somewhat careful about reaching into places out of site, particularly in the early spring and summer.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_atrox
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake
http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/herps/crot-atr.html

[Thanatos]

I swear that snakes are some of the hardest things to kill.

Shovels don't work that well, and pickaxes are too clumsy to use quickly.

Even running snakes over with my family's car doesn't seem to work!

That's why I use a gun.