AVMS

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes
 

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Kenneth Wray photos.

Scientific name: Crotalus adamanteus

Description: Average adult size is 36-72 inches (91-183 cm), record is 96 inches (244 cm). A large, heavy-bodied snake with a row of large dark diamonds with brown centers and cream borders down its back. The ground color of the body is brownish. The tail is usually a different shade, brownish or gray, and toward the end of the tail the diamonds fade out or break into bands. The tail ends in a rattle. The scales are keeled. The large and thick head has a light bordered dark stripe running diagonally through the eye and there are vertical light stripes on the snout. The pupil is vertical (catlike) and there is a deep facial pit between the nostril and the eye.

The young are similar to the adults in color pattern. The tip of the tail of new born diamondbacks ends in a ‘button,’ which is the first segment of the future rattle.

Eastern diamondback Rattlesnake: Left to right: Top of the head (notice, except for the scales over the eyes, there are no large scales on the top of the head); underside of the head (chin and throat).

Eastern diamondback Rattlesnake: Left to right: Side of the head (notice the facial pit between the eye and the nostril); front (face view) of the head.

Range: Diamondbacks are found throughout the state of Florida, including several offshore islands and keys. Outside of Florida, they range north along the coastal plain to southeastern North Carolina and west to southern Mississippi and eastern Louisiana.

Habitat: Diamondbacks are often found in pine flatwoods, longleaf pine and turkey oak, sand pine scrub areas, and coastal barrier islands. These habitats contain palmetto thickets and gopher tortoise burrows in which the diamondback may seek refuge. Humans have invaded many of Florida’s pine flatwoods and scrub areas which now contain farms, homes and shopping plazas. As a result, the displaced diamondbacks may be turn up in backyards, golf courses, and even parking lots.

Comments: Venomous. This is a large, impressive, and potentially dangerous snake. It can strike up to 2/3 its body length; a 6-foot (183 cm) specimen may strike 4 feet (122 cm). These factors, as well as others, make this a snake that should be left alone and not molested.

Some people wrongly believe the diamondback must rattle before striking. This is not true. It can lie silent and motionless, and then strike without the usual nervous buzz from its rattle. In fact, diamondbacks that rattle are more apt to be heard, seen and killed, and diamondbacks that remain silent are more apt to go undiscovered and pass on their genes to the next generation. In this way, we inadvertently are selecting for rattlers that do not rattle.

This snake is extremely beneficial to man because it preys on rats, mice, rabbits, and other warm blooded prey, many of which are considered pests. Nevertheless, the general public in Florida feels so threatened by the diamondback rattlesnake that most are killed on sight. This indiscriminate killing, combined with the widespread loss of rattlesnake habitat to agricultural development and urban sprawl and commercial hunting for rattlesnake skins, has caused a decline in most diamondback rattlesnake populations. Though not endangered, the species clearly is in trouble.

Comparison with other species: The only other rattlesnake it might be confused with is the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) which has black chevron-like crossbands, a reddish stripe down the middle of its back, and a black tail.

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2008 Alabama Vector Management Society
Last modified: 02/04/08