![]() A mature snake has up to one-inch fangs that can readily penetrate clothing, shoes, and leather boots. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is a lethal adversary, and any encounter with one of these large snakes in the wild should be taken seriously. This results in a form of unintentional selective breeding, allowing the silent snakes to survive and pass on that genetic tendency, leading to a population with no means of warning its predators (or humans) of an impending attack. Over time only the snakes that do not rattle or have little to no rattle survive. Rattlesnake hunters use this behavior to locate the snakes they kill. The eastern diamondback has large, loud rattles located at the end of its tail that it uses to warn potential predators when they get within 18 to 25 feet of the animal. Florida banned these destructive round ups years ago, but the practice is still common in Georgia and Texas.Īnother disturbing by-product of roundups affects natural selection. In a paper published in 2008 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, thousands of scientists united in strongly opposing these cruel and environmentally harmful roundups. After such a roundup, the rattlesnakes are eaten and the hides sold for the production of snakeskin purses and boots. Another method used in these roundups is to pour gasoline into gopher tortoise burrows (a popular den for diamondbacks and indigo snakes) killing the tortoises and dozens of other species that frequent these excavations. As a result, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake is fast approaching threatened status because of the continued encroachment on its range.Īnother cause of the snake’s declining numbers is the popularity of commercial rattlesnake roundups in which patches of saw palmetto are burned to drive the rattlers out from their cover so they can be killed. These same habitats are coveted by developers since their dry, sandy soils can readily be turned into strip malls and subdivisions. The rattlesnake prefers upland habitats such as longleaf and slash pine forests. One reason for the decline of the diamondback throughout the Southeast is development. Today it is reduced to remnant populations in southern Georgia, most of Florida, and parts of southern Alabama. Once found in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South and North Carolina, this snake has been relentlessly persecuted and hunted to extirpation throughout much of its historical range. The largest rattlesnake in the world, this venomous pit viper is still common throughout Southwest Florida.
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