Summary ³

Crotalus oreganus is a venomous pit viper species found in North America in the western United States, parts of British Columbia, and northwestern Mexico. Seven subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

Ecology ⁴

Mortality tends to be high in first-year young.

May congregate at hibernation dens; formerly many den sites harbored up to several hundred snakes, but most of these populations have been decimated by humans.

Primary predators include humans, various mammalian carnivores, raptors, kingsnakes, whipsnakes, and racers.

The sound emitted from a vibrating rattle is fairly loud and may continue uninterrupted for several minutes in an aroused, fully warmed rattlesnakesnake. Burrowing owls and gophers snakes, which often share mammal burrows with rattlesnakes, produce hissing vocalizations that sound very much like the rattling of a rattlesnake.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Dawn Endico, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035743246@N01/139896417
2. (c) acorbit, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/40043136@N03/3795053493
3. Adapted by Michelle S. Koo from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_oreganus
4. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28889259

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CalPhotos
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HerpMapper
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Snake Database
• The Reptile Database
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