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Rock Rattlesnake | |
| Description
Author: Richard Phillips |
Life history/reproduction: Rock
rattlesnakes are primarily crepuscular and active anytime from March to October depending
on the weather (Beaupre, 1995). Even when active rock rattlesnakes do not travel great
distances. In the Big Bend area, rock rattlesnakes moved an average of 20.4 +/- 3.0 meters
(22.3 +/- 3.3 yards) per day (Beaupre, 1995.) Rock rattlesnakes give birth to 2 – 8
(female size is positively correlated with number of young) live young from anytime during
July or August (Price 1998: 66). However, birth records in the wild are sparse (Beaupre,
1995; Degenhardt et al 1996: 345). Newborns (Photo 5) average approximately 20 centimeters
in length, with a yellow tail, which is thought to serve as a lure for potential prey
(Rubio 1998: 57). The rock rattlesnake captures lizards, small mammals and insects by
ambush, often from a S-shaped posture on the vertical face of a rock (Photo 6) (Price
1998: 66). Like all members of the family Viperidae, rock rattlesnakes possess modified
saliva capable of incapacitating its prey, commonly referred to as venom (Degenhardt et al
1996: 340).
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