According to Klauber there are about forty species and sub-species of 
rattlesnakes. The largest of these, the eastern diamond-back rattler, grows to 
seven and one-half feet in length; Willard’s pigmy, a half-pint pest local to 
Arizona and New Mexico, achieves all of fifteen inches. Of the whole fear¬ 
some tribe, the western diamond-back rattlesnake has been awarded the 
palm as killer-in-chief. 
No type of terrain has proved inhospitable to rattlers. While the greater 
number live in arid or semi-arid bushland, rattlers climb mountains as 
high as 14,500 feet, and pick their way through forests and swamps, and 
individuals have been found swimming in rivers and lakes — even in the 
ocean. Often a single species will adapt itself to different habitats. 
With the coming of the first frost rattlesnakes go into hibernation. In 
cold regions they seek out the shelter of caves or “snake dens,” deep fis¬ 
sures in the rocks frequently extending thirty feet beneath the surface. There, 
intertwined in large numbers, they spend the cold months in a state of torpor. 
Some species expropriate the holes dug by other animals. In the warmer 
climes they hibernate separately, frequently emerging during hot spells in 
quest of food and sunlight. 
During the spring and autumn, rattlers forage for their food by day, 
but during the hot season appear only after sunset. The direct heat of the 
southern sun will kill a rattlesnake in less than a quarter of an hour. The 
presence of rattlesnakes in any neighborhood is conditioned by the avail¬ 
ability of its fare — rodents and birds. They render a service to farmers 
by eating the rats and field mice which multiply in the vicinity of harvest 
operations. 
These snakes also serve economic functions by yielding their skins 
for the manufacture of fancy leather goods and their flesh is canned in 
Florida for the delectation of certain epicures. A rattlesnake oil sold in 
the Orient and at American sideshows is alleged to relieve the twinges of 
rheumatism, cure the gout and grow hair. 
In addition, rattlers create an economic “demand” which they “supply” 
themselves. Their venom is extracted and manufactured into antivenin used 
in the treatment of rattlesnake bite. Experimentation is proceeding in the 
use of venom to cure epilepsy and other disorders. 
The poisoning apparatus is a frightfully efficient device. Venom glands 
in the sides of the serpent’s head connect through ducts with long, hollow 
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