Western rattlesnake
| Western rattlesnake | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western rattlesnake ( Crotalus viridis nuntius ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Crotalus viridis | ||||||||||||
| Rafinesque , 1818 |
The western rattlesnake ( Crotalus viridis ), also prairie rattlesnake , is a type of rattlesnake ( Crotalus ) within the vipers (Viperidae), which is distributed in the western USA to Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. Until a few years ago it was listed as a species together with the Pacific rattlesnake ( Crotalus oreganus ).
features
general characteristics
The western rattlesnake is a relatively large species of rattlesnake with an average length of about 1 meter, the previous maximum length is 1.51 meters. The subspecies C. v. As a rule, nuncio remains a little smaller than the nominated form .
Snake venom
The toxin of the western rattlesnake is a complex mixture of various proteins , including enzymes such as proteases and peptidases . In addition to hemotoxic and tissue-destroying effects, the poison also shows neurotoxic properties. Specific antivenins are available for bites from this viper .
distribution and habitat
.jpg)
The range of the snake covers a large area of the Great Plains in the United States of America and extends to Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. In Canada, it can be found in the southern areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta . In the United States, the distribution area includes parts of the states of Idaho , Montana , North Dakota , South Dakota , Wyoming , Nebraska , Colorado , Kansas , Oklahoma , Texas , New Mexico and the extreme south of Arizona . In Mexico, the snake is found in northern Coahuila and northwestern Chihuahua.
Systematics
The taxonomic discussion about the western rattlesnake is currently in flux, until a few years ago it was shared with the Pacific rattlesnake ( C. oreganus ) as a species. On the basis of studies on a molecular biological basis by Ashton and de Queiroz 2001 and Pook et al. In 2000 the two taxa were separated as species, with a large part of the subspecies being assigned to the Pacific rattlesnake.
In the case of the western rattlesnake, only two subspecies are currently distinguished:
- C. v. nuncio Klauber ( Hopi rattlesnake ) in northeast Arizona in 1935
- C. v. viridis Rafinesque 1818 in the entire distribution area
literature
- ↑ For example in Chris Mattison: Rattler! - A natural history of rattlesnakes. Blandford, London 1996, ISBN 0-7137-2534-6 .
- ↑ a b c J.A. Campbell, WW Lamar WW: The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London 2004, ISBN 0-8014-4141-2 .
- ↑ Franz-Xaver Reichl: Pocket Atlas of Toxicology , chap. Animal poisons; Nikol Verlag; 2nd updated edition. ISBN 978-3868200058 .
- ↑ Viperidae - Crotalinae - 2001 Publications ( Memento of the original from December 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at Wolfgang Wüster ( Memento of the original from September 25, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , School of Biological Sciences , Bangor University
- ^ Pook CE, Wüster W, Thorpe RS. 2000. Historical biogeography of the western rattlesnake (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalus viridis ), inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence information. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 15: 269-282. PDF ( Memento of the original from July 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at Wolfgang Wüster ( Memento of the original from September 25, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , School of Biological Sciences , Bangor University
Web links
- Crotalus viridis in The Reptile Database
- Crotalus viridis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Frost, DR, Hammerson, GA & Santos-Barrera, G., 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2013.