Crotalus durissus

Neotropical rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus cumanensis )

The Neotropical rattlesnake or cascabel (Crotalus durissus ) is the only species of rattlesnakes (Crotalus ), whose distribution area is located on the South American continent. It comes with several subspecies in the dry woodlands and steppe areas from Mexico to Argentina, and thus has the widest distribution of all types of rattlesnakes.

Features

The scary rattlesnake is a comparatively large rattlesnake with an average body length of one meter. A single individual can be 1.50 meters long. In its coloration and scalation the species is dependent on the particular subspecies and regional spread very variable, so a general description is not possible. The variation of the basic color ranges from yellow to red, green, olive green, brown, light gray and dark gray to black. The marking on the back is usually from stains with a diamond-shaped figure, the diamonds that can dissolve in a speckle pattern, or a drawing band (eg at the subspecies C. d vegrandis ). It can all the same color darker than the base color or in a different color or be black. In addition, there are animals in which the spots are the same color as the base color, the back drawing thus becomes clear only by the slightly lighter border, as well as those without a marking on the back, as in the case of C. d unicolor, who lives in Aruba.

The head pattern is less variable, although there are individual subspecies with varying expression here. In general, it consists of two distinct, parallel strips from the top of the head to the neck, which have the same color as the drawing pattern on the back, as well as an eye-streak that leads over the eyes to the corners of the mouth.

Distribution and habitat

The range of the snake extends from southern Mexico through Central America to Argentina. This is not, however, is a continuous distribution area, as the snake avoids the rainforest areas. So far, no evidence could be made of snake in Panama, which the Central American populations are separated from those in northern South America. The rainforests of the Amazon Basin in central South America are not settled by her, which south of the Amazon leads to a separation of the populations in northern South America and where. Also isolated are the subspecies on the islands off the coast of Venezuela.

The habitat of the rain rattlesnake is characterized by dry forests and grasslands, while avoiding closed forests, wetlands, and the South American rainforest. In some areas, the snake was, however, found on small, surrounded by rainforest and thus insulated dry surfaces.

Snake venom

The venom of the rattlesnake showers varies in its composition and effects regionally and depending on the subspecies very strong. The venom of some subspecies is similar in composition to the poisons of the Mexican and North American rattlesnakes, and thus is distinguished primarily by tissue -destroying proteins. The effect is recognized according mainly from tissue damage, local painful swelling and hemorrhagic effects. The venom of the South American C. d terrificus, however, involves primarily neurotoxic components that act on the central nervous system and cause paralysis, shock, loss of nerve supply central organs and kidney failure - local pain and swelling, however, are scarce.

First of all snake bites of C. d terrificus are very often fatal with a mortality of up to 75 percent within a short time, while others bite subspecies often medical assistance and the administration of antivenin is possible.

System

Currently, depending on the source 9 to 14 subspecies of showers rattlesnake distinguish the sometimes very large distribution areas have such as the nominate C. d durissus and the South American C. d terrificus, but are usually limited as endemic subspecies on small-scale areas. Differences are:

• C. d cudminatus in southwestern Mexico
• C. d cumanensis in Colombia and the coastal regions of Venezuela
• C. durissus d along the northeast coast of South America.
• C. d marajoensis on the Brazilian island Marajó
• C. d ruruima in the area of ​​Mount Roraima near the border of Venezuela and Brazil Brazil
• C. d terrificus in many parts of South America from southeastern Peru to the Atlantic coast of Brazil and south in central and southern Argentina
• C. d trigonicus in southwestern Guyana and neighboring regions
• C. d tzabcan on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and adjacent regions of Guatemala and Belize
• C. unicolor d on the island of Aruba off the coast of Venezuela
• C. d vegrandis in eastern Venezuela

C. unicolor and C. d d vegrandis are often regarded as separate species. Were stored as separate species Crotalus Crotalus simus and totonacus, the latter was led by 2004 as the nominate form.