Crotalus unicolor
Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox
The Aruba Island rattlesnake (Crotalus unicolor), is a venomous pit viper species[3] endemic to the Caribbean island of Aruba, off the coast of Venezuela. It is sometimes still classified as a subspecies of Crotalus durissus.
Description
Moderately sized, this species attains an adult length of approximately Script error: No such module "convert"., and weighs about Script error: No such module "convert"..[4] It is light brown, tan, or almost pink in color, reflecting the soil color of its native habitat, with darker brown diamond-shaped markings, but colors may vary from white to apricot, or brown to slate. The markings are sometimes nearly invisible, or can only be seen in a narrow stripe down the middle of the back.
Geographic range
This species is only found on the island of Aruba, making it an endemic species.[2][5] They exist only in thornscrub and desert habitats on the southeastern half of the island.[6]
Conservation status
These snakes are found only on the island of Aruba, where they are mostly limited to the rocky, dry southern tip of the island. Due to their extremely limited geographic range, about 230 animals are left in the wild, and the ever encroaching human habitation into their territory (with only about 25 square kilometers left undeveloped), the Aruba Island rattlesnake is among the rarest rattlesnakes in the world. While exporting from the island is illegal, it has no other legal protection on the island either. The snake is now a part of the Species Survival Plan for captive breeding.
Diet
Specimens consume various species of rodents, birds, and lizards.
Reproduction
Males reach sexual maturity in four years; females in five. After a gestation period of four months, females give birth to between five and fifteen live young at a time.
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ U.S. Navy. 1991. Poisonous Snakes of the World. US Govt. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 203 pp. Template:ISBN.
- ↑ 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. Template:ISBN.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "template wrapper".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
- ↑ Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. 2 volumes. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. Template:ISBN.
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- van Lidth de Jeude, Theodorus Willem. 1887. On a collection of reptiles and fishes from the West-Indies. Notes from the Leyden Museum, 9: 129-139.
External links
Template:Sister project Template:Sister project
- Crotalus unicolor at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 28 August 2007.