Page 27 - May/June 2022 Outdoor Oklahoma

Conservation Some COOL FACTS about the Western

Diamond-backed Rattlesnake:

• It is one of seven venomous snake species in Oklahoma.
• It has dark, diamond-shaped dorsal blotches edged in white.
• A light line runs from the eye back to
the corner of the mouth.
• It has large rattles at the end of the tail.
• It is active day and night during milder GREG SILVA/READERS' PHOTO SHOWCASE 2020
weather, but only at night during summer.
• It hibernates in large numbers in dens.

• The female gives birth to live young.
• The young are born venomous.
• It prefers to live in dry areas with rocky JEREMIAH ZURENDA
outcrops or bluffs.
• It is an ambush hunter, waiting for prey to come to it.
• Rodents, rabbits, lizards, and ground-dwelling birds make
up most of its prey.
• When disturbed, it will curl up and shake the rattle on its tail.
• It will avoid confrontation, but can become aggressive
and strike.
Color a Critter: Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake

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