11/25/2023
Happy Rattlesnake Friday!
USARK devotes posts every Friday to foster awareness and appreciation of rattlesnakes, and other venomous snakes, as they are valuable members of the ecosystems in which they live, but frequently killed by people out of fear.
For Black Friday, it seems a good time to talk a little about the Arizona black rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus). This species is found in the mountains and upland areas of Arizona and far western New Mexico. Adults appear to mature around 3โ in length. The Arizona black rattlesnake is known to exhibit both ontogenic color change and physiological color change. That is to say that their color and pattern change with maturity, and also that adult animals are capable of rapid color change (within an hour). The exact mechanism for this change, and the stimuli that induce physiological color change in these rattlesnakes are not yet understood. This ability to utilize physiological color change is believed to be unique at least among the rattlesnakes of Arizona.
Overall, the species is understudied, with many aspects of its population, behavior, and physiology not thoroughly understood. Arizona black rattlesnakes have been documented to engage in complicated social interactions, with parent animals providing care for their young, and a reliance on communal dwelling in habitats at higher elevation.
While the Arizona black rattlesnake population has not been assessed, and it is perceived to be locally abundant in some locations, there is reason to believe that this species may be in decline. There are likely to be many species that are endangered but may not have that label. Many species of rattlesnakes and other snakes meet this qualification. Populations of every snake species in the U.S. are seeing declines, due mainly to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and human activity.
Respect rattlesnakes, and give them space when you encounter them. Help teach other people about these fascinating animals. While they are venomous, they do not seek out people, and they are important to the environment they live in.
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The photograph used in this post shows a close-up of the face of a very dark adult Arizona black rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus) traversing a rocky slope. The photo was taken by Craig Robson and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. The
photo was not altered for use in this post. View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
