Crotalus oreganus abyssus is a venomous pit viper subspecies found only in the U.S. states of Arizona and Utah.
Diurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Venom is a type of poison, especially one secreted by an animal. It is delivered in a bite, sting, or similar action. Venom has evolved in terrestr...
C
starts withThis is a medium to large rattlesnake. Adults measure 16–54 inches (41–137 cm) in total length.
Dorsally, they have dark blotches on a variety of base colors ranging from reddish, pink, yellow/green, light tan, to gray. The blotches usually become crossbands near the tail. The young usually have more prominent blotches and facial markings than the adults. Some adults have no body markings.
The rostral scale usually comes into contact with more than 2 internasal scales.
Found in northwestern and north-central Arizona along both rims and the floor of the Grand Canyon and adjacent areas,, and North into Utah on the Kaiparowits Plateau between the Escalante River and Paria River Drainages of Kane and Garfield Counties, Utah.
The snake is found in a variety of habitats, including grassland, Great Basin Desert scrubland, bottoms in the Grand Canyon, talus and cliff slopes, rolling hills and bajadas in pinion-juniper woodland, and pine forests.
It is primarily diurnal but can be active around the clock when conditions are favorable. The cryptic coloration and calm demeanor of this subspecies often allows it to escape detection from passersby.
It feeds on squirrels, mice, lizards, and birds.
