Mohave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulates)
Key Characteristics:
A large snake, up to 50 inches, tan, olive, or gray-brown with dark blotchy pattern down the back. Keep your distance. The Mohave Rattlesnake is considered the bad boy of the desert. The venom is 10 times the potency of the Western Diamondback.
Habitat:
Found in southern California, southern Nevada, and southwest Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. They prefer open arid habitats, in the high desert or lower mountain slopes, near scrub brush or mesquite and creosote. They tend to avoid
dense vegetation and rocky areas.
photo credit: Wikipedia
Adaptations to desert living:
The Mohave Rattlesnake is primarily nocturnal in the hotter desert areas , but will be out in the twilight in more moderate temperatures at higher elevations. It hibernates in the cold months. This snake uses heat sensing organs to detect warm-blooded predators and prey. This snake feeds on rats, mice, lizards, birds, and frogs. It uses venom injected through long, hollow, retractable fangs to kill and begin digesting the prey. The females give birth to live young, up to 17 offspring.
Description:
This is a very dangerous Rattlesnake as it is very irritable and has a highly potent venom. Most rattlers will lie still when first encountered in hopes it will not be seen. The Mohave rattler relies on pure attitude to deter would be predators and takes on an aggressive approach, which is why they have a reputation for being aggressive toward people. The rattle at the end of the tail is composed of loosely interlocking keratinous sections. A new rattle is added with each skin molt. The thin tail rings distinguish it from similar looking rattlesnakes.
The color varies from brown to green depending on the surroundings. They are sometimes known as Mohave greens.
I found this organism really interesting because:
Poisonous snakes have always held a fascination for me and the Mohave Rattler is a real threat.
Author: Glenn Tueffle
References:
Reptiles of Arizona, Wikipedia, kingsnake.com