Crotalus stejnegeri

Crotalus stejnegeri

Sinaloan long-tailed rattlesnake, Long-tailed rattlesnake

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Suborder
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Crotalus stejnegeri

Crotalus stejnegeri, commonly known as the Sinaloan long-tailed rattlesnake or just long-tailed rattlesnake, is a venomous pit viper species in the family Viperidae. The species is native to western Mexico. There are no recognized subspecies.

Animal name origin

The specific name, stejnegeri, is in honor of Leonhard Stejneger, herpetologist at the Smithsonian Institution for over 60 years.

Appearance

Adults of C. stejnegeri do not usually grow to more than 60 cm (24 in) in total length (including tail). The greatest total length recorded for a specimen is 72.4 cm (28.5 in). The tail is relatively long, representing 11.0-14.8% of the total length of adult male snakes and 9.8-12.5% in females. Klauber (1940) suggested that since the rattle is tiny, it is probably not audible. A very rare species, there have only been 12 specimens found.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Countries
Biogeographical realms

C. stejnegeri is found in western Mexico in the mountains and foothills of eastern Sinaloa, western Durango, and small areas in northern Nayarit, between 500 and 1,200 metres (1,600 and 3,900 ft) in altitude. The type locality given is "Plumosas, Sinaloa, Mexico". It occurs in pine-oak forest, subtropical dry forest, and tropical deciduous forest.

Crotalus stejnegeri habitat map

Biome

Crotalus stejnegeri habitat map

Population

Population number

C. stejnegeri is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with the following criteria: B1ab(iii) (v3.1, 2001). A species is listed as such when the best available evidence indicates its extent of occurrence is estimated to be less than 20,000 km2 (7,720 mi2), estimates indicate it is severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than 10 locations, and a continuing decline has been observed, inferred, or projected in its area, extent, and/or quality of habitat. Therefore, it is considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. The population trend was down when assessed in 2007.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Crotalus stejnegeri Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_stejnegeri
2. Crotalus stejnegeri on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/64333/12771355

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About