- Also called:
- Mexican green rattlesnake or basilisk
- Related Topics:
- Crotalus
Mexican west coast rattlesnake
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What is the Mexican west coast rattlesnake?
The Mexican west coast rattlesnake (Crotalus basiliscus) is a large, venomous pit viper inhabiting dry coastal lands and cactus forests from southern Sonora to Oaxaca in western Mexico.
Adults average 1.5 meters (5 feet) in length and can be pale green to gray-olive, marked with dark, white-bordered diamonds. They possess heat-sensing pits for hunting and a rattle composed of loosely connected segments that grows with each shedding.
While not aggressive, they are dangerous due to their potent venom, which contains both hemotoxins and neurotoxins. They hunt mammals and ground birds, striking and waiting for the venom to take effect. The Mexican west coast rattlesnake is listed as a species of least concern.
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Where does the Mexican west coast rattlesnake live?
The Mexican west coast rattlesnake ( Crotalus basiliscus) lives in dry coastal lands and cactus forests from southern Sonora to Oaxaca in western Mexico. These snakes are not aggressive and will often disappear into crevices when disturbed. However, they are dangerous to humans because they like to lie alongside paths and roads. The Mexican west coast rattlesnake is a species of "least concern," meaning it is not at risk of extinction.
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What does the Mexican west coast rattlesnake look like?
The Mexican west coast rattlesnake (Crotalus basiliscus) is a large, venomous pit viper inhabiting the dry coastal lands and cactus forests from southern Sonora to Oaxaca in western Mexico.
Adults average 1.5 meters (5 feet) long, though some grow longer than 2 meters (6.5 feet). They range in color from pale green to gray-olive and have large, beady scales. Some snakes have a dark, white-bordered diamond pattern along the back, similar to that of diamondback rattlesnakes. The head is typically unpatterned, but some individuals have a dark green bar extending diagonally from the eye to the back of the jaw. The rattle at the end of the tail is made up of loosely connected, hollow segments, with a new segment added each time the snake sheds its skin.
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What does the Mexican west coast rattlesnake eat?
The Mexican west coast rattlesnake ( Crotalus basiliscus) hunts for food during the cooler parts of the day, becoming nocturnal in the hot summer months. It waits for ground birds or mammals to cross its path. After it strikes its prey, injecting large amounts of venom, the snake follows the scent trail to its meal.
Young and small rattlesnakes consume lizards, while adult rattlesnakes primarily eat small mammals, especially rodents.
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How does the Mexican west coast rattlesnake use its rattle and venom?
The Mexican west coast rattlesnake utilizes its rattle as a warning device. The rattle is composed of loosely connected, hollow segments made of horn. Every time the snake sheds its skin, another segment is added to the rattle, and when vibrated, the rattle produces a buzzing sound.
This snake uses its venom, which contains both hemotoxins and neurotoxins, to hunt. After striking its prey, the venom destroys tissue and paralyzes the nervous system. The snake then follows the scent trail to its meal.
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Why is the Mexican west coast rattlesnake important to its ecosystem?
The Mexican west coast rattlesnake plays a valuable role in its ecosystem by controlling rodent pests and helping to maintain the natural balance of its environment. Though not normally aggressive, this highly venomous pit viper is a predator of mammals and ground birds, hunting in the cooler parts of the day and becoming nocturnal in the summer months.
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Mexican west coast rattlesnake, (Crotalus basiliscus), large, stout, highly venomous pit viper (subfamily Crotalinae, family Viperidae) of dry coastal lands and cactus forests from southern Sonora to Oaxaca in western Mexico. The Mexican west coast rattlesnake is not normally an aggressive snake, preferring to disappear into a rock crevice or animal burrow when disturbed, but its habit of lying alongside paths and roads makes it perilous to humans. It is not at risk of extinction and is listed as a species of āleast concernā by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resourcesā Red List of Threatened Species.
The average adult is 1.5 meters (5 feet) long, though some individuals measure more than 2 meters (6.5 feet) in length. The snake is pale green to gray-olive in color, with large beady scales. It can have a dark, white-bordered diamond pattern along the back similar to that of its northern diamondback relatives (see eastern and western diamondback rattlesnake). The head is unpatterned, though some individuals have a darker green bar extending diagonally from the eye to the back of the jaw. Like those of other rattlesnakes, the hollow fang of the Mexican west coast rattlesnake is similar to a curved hypodermic needle. When the snakeās mouth is closed, the fangs are folded back and lie parallel to the roof of the mouth. Linkages of bones in the upper jaw allow the fangs to be deployed into a vertical position for stabbing and biting. Large venom glands at the base of the jaws are responsible for the distinctly triangular shape of the broad head. The tailās rattle, presumably a warning device, is composed of horny, loosely connected, hollow segments, one of which is added every time the snake sheds its skin.
The Mexican west coast rattlesnake is active in the cooler parts of the day, becoming nocturnal during the hot summer months. It hunts by waiting for mammals or ground birds to cross its path. Supplementing its vision is a pair of heat sensorsāa pit, or depressionāone on each side of the snout that detects infrared radiation. Most living organisms give off heat in the form of infrared radiation; hence, any body that is warmer than its surroundings can be detected by these organs. After striking its prey and injecting large amounts of venom, the snake waits for a few moments and then follows the scent trail to its meal. Its venom is especially potent, containing not only hemotoxins, which destroy tissue, but also neurotoxins, which paralyze the nervous system. The bite is very painful and can be lethal to humans, though antivenin is effective if administered quickly in sufficient doses.
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Mexican west coast rattlesnakes give birth to live young that develop from eggs retained inside the mother (ovoviviparity). The newborns can be as long as 36 cm (14 inches) and have functioning fangs and venom glands. Their venom is more potent but of lesser quantity than that of their mother, a condition that helps ensure that the young can secure food. Babies are also equipped with a single button on the end of the tail. After the first shedding of their skin (usually within a week of birth), they will have two rattle segments. They can buzz like adults once the third rattle segment has been obtained.