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EXHIBIT 2.
WESTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKE Crotalus atrox
Rattlesnakes are only found in the Americas where they occur in every mainland country Canada to Argentina, except Panama, Ecuador and Chile.
The western diamondback rattlesnake is the most famous of all 37 rattlesnake species, and easily recognised by its black and white banded tail. It may grow to 1.2-1.5m, making it the second longest N.American rattlesnake. It causes many serious snakebites and a few deaths every year in the southwestern states.
The western diamondback rattlesnake occurs in southwestern USA (southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma & Arkansas) & northern Mexico.
click on the images to enlarge them
Habitat: Semi-desert, cactus-scrub & prairie
An Arizona western diamondback rattler in defensive posture, coiled, rattling and preparing to strike
An alert western diamondback with extended forked tongue and a heat-sensitive pit, for warm-blooded prey location, visible beneath the nostril
The rattle is comprised entirely of dead skin, one link being added everytime the rattlesnake sheds its skin. This cut-through diagram shows how the loose links fit together to form the rattle
