Norfh America 



ling sensations about tlio moutli are rather common; 

 local symptiims may not be proportionately severe. 

 Bites of the small Great Basin and Colorado Plateau 

 subspecies rarely are dangerous. 



Sidewinder, C'rofuh/s cerastes Hallowell. 



Idciiliftratioii : Presence of an elevated hornlike scale 

 above the eye identities this rattlesnake. 



Cream, tan, gray, light l)ro\vn or piid;ish with rows of 

 darker spots; tail ringed. 



Average length 18 to 25 inches; maximum about 30 

 inches ; females .slightly larger than males. 



Diatrihution: Deserts of southea.stern California and 

 ■southern Nevada .southward through western Arizona 

 into adjacent Sonora and Baja California. Most com- 

 mon in sandy flats and dunes with sparse vegetation ; 

 sometimes on arid rocky hillsides. 



HciiKiiku: Sidewinders often rest during the day 

 with part of their body buried under sand and are 

 active at night. 'I'lie sidewinding type of motion, diffi- 

 cult to describe b\il imnnslakable when .seen, is char- 

 acteristic of this snake and some heavy-bodied sand 

 vipers of Africa and Asia. It is used occasionally by 

 some other desert snakes including a few other species 

 of rattlesnakes. The name sidewinder is also applied 

 incorrectly to other kinds of small rattlesnakes in the 

 southwestern fnilcd States. 



more or less suffused with dark gray. Specimens from 

 U[)land areas of the eastern United States are sometimes 

 almost uniforndy black above. 



Average length 3 to 4 feet; maximum a little over 

 G feet. 



FloiRF. 21. — Timlicr Halllesnake. Crntnlus lioiridu.f. 

 Photo by New V<irk Zoidogical Society. (See also 

 plate III, lig. 4.1 





^^ •<*** .^9 Tj: "^ '•"? .■ 



Figure 20. — Sidewinder. CrntuJiis n-nixli: 

 New' York Zoological Society. 



Pilot. 



bv 



The disposition of the sidewinder is abo\it the same 

 as that of the viriilis group of rattlesnakes. Bites, 

 formerly quite unusual, have become more frequent with 

 the growing use of desert ai'eas for residential and 

 recreational purposes. Fatalities from biles are few 

 because the (|u;uitily of venom is small. 



Timber Rattlesnake, (' ratal iik horrid iis I^innaeus. 



Identiflcaiio)! : Tlie only rattlesnake of the eastern 

 United States showing the combination of small scales 

 between the eyes, no pronnnent light stripes on the side 

 of the bead and. in adult snakes, a black tail. 



Yellow, gray, buff, or pale brown with sooty black 

 crossbands or chevrons narrowly edged with pale yellow 

 or white; often an amber, pinkish or rusty stripe down 

 the middle of the back ; belly cream t<i pinkish white 



DislrihiiliDii : New England to the Florida panhandle, 

 west to central Tex.-is. north in the Mississippi Valley to 

 southeastern .Minnesota. Found in wooded rocky hills 

 in llie northern part of tlic range, swamps and lowland 

 fcM'est in the south. 



Ht marks: Tindier rattlesnakes congregate in num- 

 bers to bask and hibernate in rocky liluffs and ledges — 

 n habit whleli lias greatly facilitated their extermination 

 in populous areas. They are secretive aiul partly noc- 

 turnal during hot weather. 



Ralber mild tempered, they often do a good deal of 

 jirelindnary rattling and feinting before striking. This 

 rattlesnake and I be cojiperhead are used in rituals by 

 the snake-bandling cults of the southern mountains. 

 Bites among the cullists are fairly frequent, and no 

 medical care is given as a rule. At least 20 fatalities 

 have ociurrcd among these snake handlers. 



CROTALIDAE: Genus Sistrurus Gorman, 1883. 

 I'ioiiiy Rattlesnakes. 



Three species are recoginzed ; two are in the eastern 

 and central UuIIimI Slates. Hie other in the southern 

 part of the Mexican plateau. None is considered espe- 

 cially dangerous, although S. cutciiiitiis is reported to 

 sometimes cause death in children. 



Drfiititioii : Head broad, very dislimt from narrow- 

 neck ; canthus obtuse to acute. Body cylindrical, ta- 

 pered, slender to moderately stout ; tail short, ternunat- 

 ing in a relativel.v small horn.v, segmented rattle. 



Eyes small to moderate in size; pupils vertically ellip- 

 tical. 



43 



