Crotalus enyo

Crotalus enyo, also known as the "Lower California Rattlesnake", is a species of venomous Pit viper. There are currently two subspecies found.

Crotalus enyo
Crotalus enyo.JPG
Conservation status
Scientific classification e
Unrecognized taxon (fix): Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Crotalus
Species:
C. enyo
Binomial name
Crotalus enyo
(Cope, 1861)
Crotalus enyo distribution.png
Synonyms
  • Caudisona enyo Cope, 1861
  • Crotalus enyo – Cope, 1875
  • [Crotalus oreganus] var. enyo
    Garman, 1884
  • Crotalus tigris (part)
    Boulenger, 1896
  • Crotalus confluentus enyo
    Amaral, 1929
  • Crotalus enyo enyo
    Lowe & Norris, 1954
  • Crotalus enyo
    – Beaman & Grismer, 1994[2]
Common names: Baja California rattlesnake,[3] Lower California rattlesnake[4]

Description

Male Baja California Rattlesnakes are larger than females with some which can grow up to the length of 89.8 centimetres (35.4 inches). The head is small and narrow while the eyes are very big. They are usually light brown or dark brown in color, but some are also gray. They have blotches which are black or light brown with dark edges.

Where it lives

The Baja California Rattlesnake is found in deserts and pine-oak forests of northwestern Mexico. They are also found on islands of the Gulf of California.

Feeding

Young Baja California Rattlesnakes eat lizards and small centipedes, while adults eat rodents and large centipedes of the genus Scolopendra.

Reproduction

Baja California Rattlesnakes mate in the spring and give birth to their young in summer or early fall. They give birth to 2-7 young at a time, and the young are around 20.6 to 22.2 centimetres (8.1 to 8.7 inches) long.

Subspecies

References

  1. Hollingsworth, B. & Frost, D.R. (2007). "Crotalus enyo". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2007: e.T64316A12765256. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64316A12765256.en.
  2. McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
  3. Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
  4. Klauber LM. 1997. Rattlesnakes: Their Habitats, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. Second Edition. First published in 1956, 1972. University of California Press, Berkeley. ISBN 0-520-21056-5.