:''Common names: red diamond rattlesnake, red rattlesnake, red diamond snake,
[Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. .] more
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''
''Crotalus ruber'' is a
venomous
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
pit viper species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
found in southwestern
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Three
subspecies are currently recognized, including the
nominate subspecies described here.
Description
This moderately large species commonly exceeds on the mainland. Large males may exceed , although specimens of over are quite rare. The largest specimen on record measured (Klauber, 1937).
[Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. .]
''Crotalus ruber'' is very similar in pattern to ''C. atrox'', but it is distinguished by its reddish color, to which the
specific name, ''ruber'', refers. Also, the first lower labial scale on each side is transversely divided to form a pair of anterior chin shields.
The dorsal scales are usually arranged in 29 rows, but may vary from 25 to 31 rows. Ventrals range from 185 to 206.
Snakes found in coastal regions are longer on average than those found in desert regions.
Common names
Common names include: red diamond rattlesnake, red rattlesnake, red diamond snake, red diamond-backed rattlesnake, red rattler, and western diamond rattlesnake.
The form found on
Cedros Island
Cedros Island (''Isla de Cedros'', "island of cedars" in Spanish) is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the state of Baja California, Mexico. The dry and rocky island had a population of 1,350 in 2005 and has an area of which include ...
, previously described as ''C. exsul'', was referred to as the Cedros Island diamond rattlesnake,
[Klauber LM. 1997. Rattlesnakes: Their Habitats, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. Second Edition. First published in 1956, 1972. University of California Press, Berkeley. .] or Cedros Island rattlesnake.
[Ditmars RL. 1933. Reptiles of the World. Revised Edition. The MacMillan Company. 329 pp. 89 plates.]
Geographic range
Red diamond rattlesnakes are found in the United States in southwestern
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and southward through the
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
peninsula, although not in the desert east of the
Sierra de Juárez
The Sierra de Juárez, also known as the Sierra Juarez, is a mountain range located in Tecate Municipality and northern Ensenada Municipality, within the northern Baja California state of northwestern Mexico.
It is a major mountain range in the ...
in northeastern Baja California. It also inhabits a number of islands in the
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja C ...
, including
Angel de la Guarda, Pond, San Lorenzo del Sur,
San Marcos
San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to:
Towns and cities Argentina
* San Marcos, Salta
Colombia
* San Marcos, Antioquia
* San Marcos, Sucre
Costa Rica
* San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú)
...
, Danzante,
Monserrate
Monserrate (named after Catalan homonym mountain ''Montserrat'') is a high mountain over 10,000 feet high that dominates the city center of Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. It rises to above the sea level, where there is a church (built in ...
and San José. Off the west coast of Baja California, it is found on
Isla de Santa Margarita, which is off
Baja California Sur, and (as ''C. exsul'') on
Isla de Cedros.
Originally, no
type locality was given, although two have been proposed: "Dulzura,
San Diego County, California", by Smith and Taylor (1950), and "vicinity of San Diego, California" by Schmidt (1953).
Conservation status
This species is classified as Least Concern on the
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001).
Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because they are unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend was down when assessed in 2007.
Habitat
''C. ruber'' inhabits the cooler coastal zone, over the mountains, and into the desert beyond. It prefers the dense
chaparral country of the foothills, cactus patches, and boulders covered with brush, from sea level to 1,500 m in altitude.
[Behler JL, King FW. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. LCCCN 79-2217. .]
Diet
This species preys on rabbits, ground squirrels, birds,
lizards, and other snakes.
[Wright and Wright (1957)]
Snakes from coastal populations consume prey of larger body mass than snakes from desert populations.
Reproduction
Mating occurs between February and April. Females give birth in August, to between three and 20 young. Neonates are 30 to 34 cm in length.
Venom
This species is of a mild disposition
and has one of the least potent rattlesnake venoms. Nonetheless, a bite from this species is still a medical emergency and can be fatal without prompt antivenom treatment.
Brown (1973) lists an average venom yield of 364 mg (dried) and values of 4.0, 3.7 mg/kg
IV, 6.0, 7.0, 6.7 mg/kg
IP and 21.2 mg/kg
SC for toxicity.
[Brown JH. 1973. Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. 184 pp. LCCCN 73-229. .]
However, Norris (2004) warned this species has a relatively large venom yield containing high levels of
proteolytic enzyme
A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalyzes (increases reaction rate or "speeds up") proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the for ...
s, especially in the adults. A publication he mentions by Rael ''et al.'' (1986) showed it contains at least three proteolytic hemorrhagins that degrade
fibrinogen
Fibrinogen (factor I) is a glycoprotein complex, produced in the liver, that circulates in the blood of all vertebrates. During tissue and vascular injury, it is converted enzymatically by thrombin to fibrin and then to a fibrin-based blood cl ...
and cause
myonecrosis
Gas gangrene (also known as clostridial myonecrosis and myonecrosis) is a bacterial infection that produces tissue gas in gangrene. This deadly form of gangrene usually is caused by ''Clostridium perfringens'' bacteria. About 1,000 cases of gas g ...
, but no
Mojave toxin. On the other hand, three specimens from Mexico studied by Glen ''et al.'' (1983) did have Mojave toxin and lacked hemorrhagic activity.
[Norris R. 2004. Venom Poisoning in North American Reptiles. ''In'' Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. .]
Bite symptoms include massive tissue swelling, pain,
ecchymosis
A bruise, also known as a contusion, is a type of hematoma of tissue, the most common cause being capillaries damaged by trauma, causing localized bleeding that extravasates into the surrounding interstitial tissues. Most bruises occur close ...
, hemorrhagic blebs, and necrosis. Systemic symptoms may include nausea, vomiting,
coagulopathy, clinical bleeding and
hemolysis
Hemolysis or haemolysis (), also known by several other names, is the rupturing ( lysis) of red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the release of their contents (cytoplasm) into surrounding fluid (e.g. blood plasma). Hemolysis may occur in vivo ...
.
Subspecies
Taxonomy
Not enough genetic and morphological diversity exists between ''C. exsul'' from
Cedros Island
Cedros Island (''Isla de Cedros'', "island of cedars" in Spanish) is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the state of Baja California, Mexico. The dry and rocky island had a population of 1,350 in 2005 and has an area of which include ...
and ''C. ruber'' from the mainland to warrant the recognition of both species.
[Murphy ''et al.'' (1995)] Since ''C. exsul'' Garman (1884) has priority over ''C. ruber'' Cope (1892), they suggested the island population be referred to as ''C. e. exsul'' and those from the mainland as ''C. e. ruber''. In response, Smith ''et al.'' (1998) petitioned the
ICZN to validate ''ruber'' over ''exsul'' in the interest of nomenclatural stability. In 2000, the ICZN published Opinion 1960 in which they ruled ''C. ruber'' should have precedence over ''C. exsul''.
References
Further reading
* Cope ED. 1892. A critical review of the characters and variations of the snakes of North America. Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum 14(882): 589-694.
* Garman S. 1884. The reptiles and batrachians of North America. Memoires of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 8(3): 1-185.
* Murphy RW, Kovac V, Haddrath O, Oliver GS, Fishbein A. 1995. MtDNA gene sequence, allozyme, and morphological uniformity among red diamond rattlesnakes, ''Crotalus ruber'' and ''Crotalus exsul''. Canadian Journal of Zoology 73(2): 270-281.
* Smith HM, Brown LE, Chiszar D, Grismer LL, Allen GS, Fishbein A, Hollingsworth BD, McGuire JA, Wallach V, Strimple P, Liner EA. 1998. ''Crotalus ruber'' Cope, 1892 (Reptilia, Serpentes): proposed precedence of the specific name over that of ''Crotalus exsul'' Garman, 1884. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 55(4): 229-232.
External links
*
''Crotalus exsul'' (=''Crotalus ruber'') Red Diamond Rattlesnakea
San Diego Museum of Natural History Accessed 7 February 2007.
''Crotalus exsul'' (=''Crotalus ruber'') Red Diamond RattlesnakeField Observation at Laguna Beach, CA, Water Tank Road. Accessed 26 March 2022.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2033803
ruber
Reptiles of Mexico
Reptiles of the United States
Fauna of California
Natural history of Baja California
Natural history of Baja California Sur
Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands
Fauna of the Colorado Desert
Fauna of the Mojave Desert
Fauna of Gulf of California islands
Cedros Island
Natural history of San Diego County, California
Reptiles described in 1892