SPECKLED RATTLESNAKE
RELATED LINKS:
WILDLIFE
- Red Racer
- Gopher Snake
- Glossy Snake
- Common Kingsnake
- Mojave Rattlesnake
- Speckled Rattlesnake
- Panamint Rattlesnake
- Desert Sindwinder
- Diamondback Rattlesnake
- Great Basin Rattlesnake
- Gila Monster
- Chuckwalla
- Leopard Lizard
- Collard Lizard
- Spiny Lizard
- Desert Iguana
- Desert Whiptail
ANIMAL MOTION AND BODY COVERINGS
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake
This rattlesnake is quite common in the rocky foothills around Las Vegas. Its color tends to match that of the rocks among which it lives. Where the rocks are dark these rattlesnakes are dark brown or blackish. If the rocks are light colored, so is the snake. In the red rocks, speckled rattlesnakes are orange or even reddish. Having the same color as their surroundings helps protect the snakes against predators – coyotes, kit foxes, hawks, eagles, owls and, of course, people. The snakes cannot change color and must remain in the general area they were born for the camouflage to work. Local speckled rattlers grow to lengths of three to four feet and eat mostly small rodents and lizards. Their bite can be quite serious. It is not unusual to find southwestern speckleds out in cool daylight during spring and late summer, but night activity is normally favored.
