Crotalus Totally Explained

Everything about Crotalus totally explained

ť Common names: rattlesnakes, rattlers.

Crotalus is a genus of venomous pitvipers found only in the Americas from southern Canada to northern Argentina. 29 species are currently recognized.

Description

Members of this genus range in size from only 50-60 cm (C. intermedius, C. pricei), to over 150 cm (C. adamanteus, C. atrox). Most forms are easily recognized by the characteristic rattle on the end of the tail, although a few island populations form exceptions to this rule: C. catalinensis has lost its rattle entirely, C. ruber lorenzoensis usually has no rattle, and both C. r. lucasensis and C. molossus estebanensis exhibit a tendency for rattle loss. The rattle may also be lacking in any species due to a congenital abnormality.

Geographic range

Found in the Americas from southern Canada to northern Argentina. Second is the platelet antagonist crotalin; this toxin creates a severe bleeding effect as it binds to the surface proteins blocking aggregation. These two starkly different effects may seem counter productive however the effect should be profound. Firstly if the endothelial cells are disrupted this will cause a lysis effect and internal bleeding, then as these hemorrhages increase the natural thrombin response is hindered by the effect of crotalin increasing the toxic effect. Observed hunting technique is a bite and release method so a fast acting toxin would be ideal. Assuming that the natural median prey would be a small rodent such as a mouse, the bite would elicit a fear response quickening heart rate and increasing blood pressure this would speed the toxic effect as well as spreading the hemolytic and hemorrhagic effect.

Species

Species	Authority	Subsp.*	Common name	Geographic range
C. adamanteus	Palisot de Beauvois, 1799	0	Eastern diamondback rattlesnake	The southeastern United States from southeastern North Carolina, south along the coastal plain through peninsular Florida to the Florida Keys, and west along the Gulf Coast though southern Mississippi to southeastern Louisiana.
C. aquilus	Klauber, 1952	0	Querétaro dusky rattlesnake	The highlands of central Mexico: Guanajuato, Hidalgo, México, Michoacán and San Luis Potosí.
C. atrox	Baird & Girard, 1853	0	Western diamondback rattlesnake	The United States from central Arkansas and southeastern California, south into Mexico as far as northern Sinaloa, Hidalgo and northern Veracruz. Disjunct populations exist is southern Veracruz and southeastern Oaxaca.
C. basiliscus	(Cope, 1864)	0	Mexican west coast rattlesnake	Western Mexico from southern Sonora to Michoacán.
C. catalinensis	Cliff, 1954	0	Santa Catalina rattlesnake	Isla Santa Catalina in the Gulf of California (western Mexico).
C. cerastes	Hallowell, 1854	2	Sidewinder	The southwestern United States in the desert region of eastern California, southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah and western Arizona. In northwestern Mexico in western Sonora and eastern Baja California.
C. durissus	Linnaeus, 1758	8	South American rattlesnake	Found in all South American countries except Chile and Ecuador, although the various populations are disjunct. Also occurs on some islands in the Caribbean.
C. enyo	(Cope, 1861)	2	Baja California rattlesnake	Western Mexico on the Baja California Peninsula from around Río San Telmo on the west coast and from opposite Isla Angel de la Guarda on the gulf coast, south to Cabo San Lucas. Also on the following islands in the Gulf of California: San Marcos, Carmen, San José, San Francisco, Partida del Sur, Espírita Santo and Cerralvo. Off the pacific coast it's also found on the island of San Margarita.
C. horridus^T	Linnaeus, 1758	0	Timber rattlesnake	The eastern United Sates from southern Minnesota and southern Maine, south to east Texas and north Florida. Also in southern Canada in southern Ontario.
C. intermedius	Troschel, 1865	2	Mexican small-headed rattlesnake	Central and southern Mexico, in southeastern Hidalgo, southern Tlaxcala, northeastern and south-central Puebla, west-central Veracruz, Oaxaca and Guerrero.
C. lannomi	Tanner, 1966	0	Autlán rattlesnake	Western Mexico in Jalisco.
C. lepidus	(Kennicott, 1861)	3	Rock rattlesnake	The southwestern United States in Arizona, southern New Mexico and southwestern Texas, south into northern central Mexico.
C. mitchellii	(Cope, 1861)	4	Speckled rattlesnake	The southwestern United States in east-central and southern California, southwestern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah and western Arizona. In Mexico in most of Baja California, including Baja California Sur. Also found on a number of islands in the Gulf of California and on Santa Margarita Island off the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur.
C. molossus	Baird & Girard, 1853	3	Black-tailed rattlesnake	The southwestern United States in Arizona, New Mexico and west and central Texas. In Mexico as far south as Oaxaca. Also found in the Gulf of California on San Estéban Island and Tiburón Island.
C. oreganus	Holbrook, 1840	6	Western rattlesnake	Southwestern Canada (southern British Columbia), south though much of the western half of the United States (Washington, Oregon, western and southern Idaho, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and likely west-central New Mexico), and into northern Mexico (western Baja California (state) and the extreme north of Baja California Sur).
C. polystictus	(Cope, 1865)	0	Mexican lance-headed rattlesnake	Central Mexican Plateau, from southern Zacatecas and northeastern Colima east to east-central Veracruz.
C. pricei	Van Denburgh, 1895	1	Twin-spotted rattlesnake	In the United States from southeastern Arizona and Mexico in northern Sonora southeast through Chihuahua, Durango, southeastern Cohuila and Nuevo León into Tamaulipas.
C. pusillus	Klauber, 1952	0	Tancitaran dusky rattlesnake	West-central Mexico in southwestern and west-central Michoacán and adjacent Jalisco. Probably also in northeastern Colima.
C. ruber	Cope, 1892	2	Red diamond rattlesnake	The United States in southwestern California, south through the Baja California Peninsula, except in the desert east of the Sierra de Juárez. Also found on a number of islands in the Gulf of California and two islands off the west coast of Baja California Sur.
C. scutulatus	(Kennicott, 1861)	1	Mohave rattlesnake	The southwestern United States in southern California, southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah, most of Arizona, southern New Mexico and western Texas, and south into Mexico to southern Puebla.
C. simus	Latreille In Sonnini & Latreille, 1801	2	Middle American rattlesnake	From Mexico in southwestern Michoacán on the Pacific coast, and Veracruz and the Yucatan Peninsula on the Atlantic coast, south through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua to west-central Costa Rica.
C. stejnegeri	Dunn, 1919	0	Long-tailed rattlesnake	Western Mexico in eastern Sinaloa, western Durango and probably northern Nayarit.
C. tigris	Kennicott In Baird, 1859	0	Tiger rattlesnake	The southwestern United States in south-central Arizona, and in northwestern Mexico in Sonora. Also found on Isla Tiburón in the Gulf of California.
C. tortugensis	Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921	0	Tortuga island diamond rattlesnake	Mexico, on Tortuga Island, in the Gulf of California off the coast of Baja California Sur.
C. totonacus	Gloyd & Kauffeld, 1940	0	Totonacan rattlesnake	Northeastern Mexico from central Nuevo León through southern Tamaulipas, northern Veracruz, eastern San Luis Potosí and northern Querétaro.
C. transversus	Taylor, 1944	0	Cross-banded mountain rattlesnake	Central Mexico in the states of México and Morelos.
C. triseriatus	(Wagler, 1830)	1	Mexican dusky rattlesnake	Mexico, along the southern edge of the Mexican Plateau in the highlands of the Transverse Volcanic Cordillera, including the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, México, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Veracruz.
C. viridis	(Rafinesque, 1818)	1	Prairie rattlesnake	Southern Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan), south through the United States (eastern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, extreme eastern Arizona), and into northern Mexico (northern Coahuila, northwestern Chihuahua).
C. willardi	Meek, 1905	4	Ridge-nosed rattlesnake	The United States in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico in Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango and Zacatecas.

*) Not including the nominate subspecies (typical form).
^T) Type species.Further Information

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