Crotalus oreganus
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 Southern Pacific rattlesnake, C. o. helleri.
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| Crotalus oreganus Holbrook, 1840 |
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Common names: western rattlesnake, northern Pacific rattlesnake.[2]
Crotalus oreganus is a venomous rattlesnake species found in the western United States. Seven subspecies are currently recognized, including the typical form described here.[2]
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[edit] Description
The size of this species varies greatly, with some populations being stunted and others growing very large. However, mainland specimens often reach 100 cm in length, with the largest on record being 162.6 cm (Klauber, 1956).[3]
[edit] Geographic range
Found in North America from southwestern Canada, though much of the western half of the western part of the United States, and south into northern Mexico. In Canada it is found in southern British Columbia. In the USA it occurs in Washington, Oregon, western and southern Idaho, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and likely west-central New Mexico. In northern Mexico it is found in western Baja California Norte and the extreme north of Baja California Sur, from sea level to an altitude of 2,500 m.[3]
There are also reports of this species occurring on five different islands:[3]
- Morro Rock, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County, California (now connected to the mainland by a causeway).
- Anaho Island, Pyramid Lake, Washoe County, Nevada.
- Rattlesnake Island, Clear Lake, Lake County, California (may no longer be found here).
- Santa Catalina Island, California, off the coast of San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.
- South Coronado Island, off the coast of Baja California.
The type locality is described as "... banks of the Oregon and Columbia River ... in the Oregon Territory."[1]
[edit] Subspecies
| Subspecies[2] | Authority[2] | Common name[4] | Geographic range[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. o. abyssus | Klauber, 1930 | Grand Canyon rattlesnake | The United States, in Arizona in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado river, from the north to the south rim. |
| C. o. caliginis | Klauber, 1949 | Coronado Island rattlesnake | Mexico, on South Coronado Island, off the northwest coast of Baja California. |
| C. o. cerberus | (Coues In Wheeler, 1875) | Arizona black rattlesnake | The United States, in Arizona from the Hualpi Mountains and Cottonwood Cliffs in the northwest of the state, southeast to the Santa Catalina, Rincon, Pinaleno and Blue Mountains. Also found at Steeple Rock, in extreme western New Mexico. |
| C. o. concolor | Woodbury, 1929 | Midget faded rattlesnake | The United States, in the Colorado and Green River basins. This area covers southwestern Wyoming, Utah east of long. 111° West (excluding the southeastern corner) and extreme east-central Colorado. |
| C. o. helleri | Meek, 1905 | Southern Pacific rattlesnake | The United States in southern California, and Mexico in northern Baja California, west of the desert. In the north from the counties of San Luis Obispo and Kern, and south through the counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles (including Santa Catalina Island), southwestern San Bernardino, Orange, western Riverside, San Diego and extreme western Imperial. From there its range extends south though Baja California to lat. 28° 30' North. |
| C. o. lutosus | Klauber, 1930 | Great Basin rattlesnake | The United States in the Great Basin region. Its range includes Idaho south of lat. 44° North, Utah west of long. 111° West, Arizona west and north of the Colorado River as well as the north rim of the Grand Canyon, the entire state of Nevada (excuding Esmeralda, Nye and Clark counties), California east of the Sierra Nevada from Lower Klamath Lake south to below Lake Mono, Oregon south and east of the line Upper Klamath Lake-Fort Rock-Burns-Council (Idaho). |
| C. o. oreganus | Holbrook, 1840 | Northern Pacific rattlesnake | From the Pacific slope in British Columbia, Canada, south through the United States to San Luis Obispo and Kern counties in California. This includes south-central British Columbia, Washington east of the Cascade Mountains, western Idaho from Coeur d'Alene south to near Council or Weiser, northern and western Oregon (excluding the Cascades), and California west of the Sierra Nevada. Also found on Morro Rock off the coast of San Luis Obispo county. |
[edit] See also
[edit] Cited references
- ^ a b McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ a b c d Crotalus oreganus (TSN 209548). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 28 November 2006.
- ^ a b c Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.
- ^ a b Klauber LM. 1997. Rattlesnakes: Their Habitats, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. Second Edition. First published in 1956, 1972. University of California Press, Berkeley. ISBN 0-520-21056-5.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
- Species Crotalus oreganus at the Species2000 Database
