Rattlesnake

Rattlesnake
Western diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus atrox
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Reptilia
Sub-class	Diapsida
Infra-class	Lepidosauromorpha
Order Information
Superorder	Lepidosauria
Order	Squamata
Sub-order	Serpentes
Family Information
Superfamily	Colubroidea
Family	Viperidae
Sub-family	Crotalinae
Genus Information
Genera	Crotalus Sistrurus
Population statistics

Rattlesnake is the name given to 32 species of venomous snake native to the Americas, of which its primary characteristic is a set of disjointed noise-making scales on the end of their tails.^[1]

Species[edit]

Genus Crotalus[edit]

Characterized by larger size vs. Sistrurus; presence of large number of smaller scales upon the head.

• Autlan rattlesnake, Crotalus lannomi
• Baja rattlesnake, Crotalus enyo
• Black-tailed rattlesnake, Crotalus molossus
• Catalina Island rattlesnake, Crotalus catalinensis
• Cross-banded mountain rattlesnake, Crotalus transversus
• Dusky rattlesnake, Crotalus triseriatus
• Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus
• Long-tail rattlesnake, Crotalus stejnegeri
• Mexican lancehead rattlesnake, Crotalus polystictus
• Mexican small-headed rattlesnake, Crotalus intermedius
• Mexican west coast rattlesnake, Crotalus basiliscus
• Middle American rattlesnake, Crotalus simus
• Mojave rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus
• Queretaran dusky rattlesnake, Crotalus aquilus
• Prairie rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis
• Red diamond rattlesnake, Crotalus ruber
• Ridge-nosed rattlesnake, Crotalus willardi
• Rock rattlesnake, Crotalus lepidus
• Speckled rattlesnake, Crotalus mitchellii
• Sidewinder, Crotalus cerastes
• South American rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus
• Tancitaran dusky rattlesnake, Crotalus pusillus
• Tiger rattlesnake, Crotalus tigris
• Timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus
• Tortuga Island diamond rattlesnake, Crotalus tortugensis
• Totonacan rattlesnake, Crotalus totonacus
• Twin-spotted rattlesnake, Crotalus pricei
• Western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox
• Western rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus

Genus Sistrurus[edit]

Characterized by generally-smaller size vs. Crotalus; presence of nine head-plate scales and a smaller rattle relative to the size of the snake, which produces a higher-pitched "buzzing" sound.

• Massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus
• Mexican pigmy rattlesnake, Sistrurus ravus
• Pigmy rattlesnake, Sistrurus miliarius

See also[edit]

• Rattlesnake (American symbol)

References[edit]