NPS/Emily Hunter
Crowned North America’s longest and heaviest venomous snake, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake is native to the national seashore.
One of the eastern diamondback’s most distinctive features is its diamond-shaped scale pattern along its back. These dark brown or black diamond shapes are surrounded by lighter brownish, brownish-yellow or even olive scales. Not only is the eastern diamondback the largest rattlesnake in North America, it is also the longest and heaviest venomous snake. Their average weight is around 10 pounds and are anywhere from 3-6 feet in length and can live up to 15 years in the wild. At the front of its large triangular shaped-head, this snake has vertical elliptical pupils (a defining characteristic of most venomous snakes). At the end of their tail, eastern diamondbacks have a rattle that they shake to warn predators or humans if threatened and the sound in unmistakable.
Diamondback rattlesnakes live in dry sandy areas, palmetto or wiregrass flatwoods, pinewoods, coastal dune habitats or hardwood hammocks. They range from southern North Carolina to eastern Louisiana with a larger population in Georgia and Florida. Diamondbacks eat small mammals and birds. To do so, they sit-and-wait, waiting in disguise beside logs, large vegetation or palmettos for prey to come along. Once a rattlesnake strikes, it releases venom through its fangs, then releases the prey letting it crawl away to die. The rattlesnake will then go and fetch its prey. In general, these snakes avoid predators by using their rattle as a warning system and by staying under cover and camouflaged. Their predators include birds of prey (hawks and eagles), other snakes and mammals. Because snakes are habitat specialists, the largest threat to this species is loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation. This rattlesnake is dependant on the longleaf pine ecosystem of the southeastern United States but less than 2-3 percent of the original pine habitat remains. “Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) - Venomous.” Species Profile: Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) | SREL Herpetology, srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/croada.htm. “Snakes.” Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission, myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/snakes/. |
Last updated: September 10, 2019