Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) Family: Vipers (Viperidae) Order: Squamates or Scaly Reptiles (Squamata)

Size:  43-82 cm. Distribution:  Southwestern USA (Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah) and northwestern Mexico (Baja California, Sonora). Habitat:  Flat deserts, Usually on sandy surfaces, from below sea level (e.g., Death Valley) to 1800 m a.s.l., although usually below 1200 m a.s.l. Food:  Pocket mice, kangaroo rats, and lizards. The Sidewinder is a typical sit-and-wait predator, which is most often found partially buried in the sand, waiting to ambush passing prey. Young Sidewinders may also wiggle the tail to attract prey, making it appear like a wiggling worm or caterpillar. Sidewinders are capable of ingesting very large prey: at one occasion a juvenile was found eating a lizard weighing 1.7 times its own weight! The snake was found dead with the lizard's tail protruding from its mouth, however, so it may have miscalculated its own capacity. Reproduction:  Mating takes place in April or May, but occasionally also in autumn. The female gives birth to 5-18 young in late summer or early autumn. The young measure 17-20 cm at birth. Activity and behaviour:  Primarily nocturnal. In the daytime, it seeks shelter in mammal burrows or under shady bushes. Usually seen in spring, when it crosses roads after sunset. Travels quickly over shifting surfaces by "sidewinding", a type of locomotion in which the snake make use of static friction to keep from slipping when crossing loose soil. This locomotion type usually leaves a trail of parallel J-shaped markings, a unique trace of the Sidewinder. Enemies and defense:  Like many other snakes, the Sidewinder often crawls on to roads after sunset to absorb heat from the tarmac. Due to road traffic, this obviously costs a large number of snakes their lives. Among the natural enemies of the rattlesnakes are other snakes (e.g., kingsnakes), birds of prey, owls, roadrunners, ravens, coyotes, foxes, wildcats, badgers, skunks, and hogs. Moreover, deer, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and pronghorns have been seen stamp rattlesnakes to death. Longevity:  Sidewinders have lived for up to 27 years and 4 months in captivity. Sexual differences:  Unlike most other rattlesnakes, females attain a greater length than males, but males have relatively longer tails and thicker tail bases. In addition to yhis, there are slight variations between males and females. Variation:  There are three different subspecies (races): Colorado Desert Sidewinder (C. c. laterorepens), Mojave Desert Sidewinder (C. c. cerastes), and Sonora Desert Sidewinder (C. c. cercobombus), which only vary from one another moderately. Notes:  Terrariet's animals belong to the subspecies (race) Sonora Desert Sidewinder (C. c. cercobombus), which is found in the southeastern part of the range (Arizona, USA, and Sonora, Mexico). References: Banta, B.H. 1965. A distributional checklist of the recent reptiles inhabiting the state of Nevada. Occasional Papers Biological Society of Nevada 5: 1-8. Behler, J.L.; King, F.W. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp. Bogert, C.M.; Oliver, J.A. 1945. A preliminary analysis of the herpetofauna of Sonora. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 83(6): 303-425. Brennan, T.C.; Holycross, A.T. 2006. A field guide to amphibians and reptiles in Arizona. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix. 150 pp. Campbell, J.A.; Lamar, W.W. 2004. The venomous reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Vol. 1-2. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, N.Y. 870 pp. Ernst, C.H.; Ernst, E.M. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Books, Washington & London. 668 pp. Grismer, L.L. 2002. Amphibians and reptiles of Baja California, including its Pacific islands and the islands in the Sea of Cortes. University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles & London. 399 pp. Rubio, M. 1998. Rattlesnake: portrait of a predator. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington & London. 240 pp. Stebbins, R.C. 1972. Amphibians and reptiles of California. (California Natural History Guides no. 31). University of California Press, Berkeley & London. 152 pp. Stebbins, R.C. 2003. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. 3rd edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston & New York. 533 pp. Tanner, W.W. 1975. 1975 checklist of Utah amphibians and reptiles. Proceedings of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters 52(1): 4-8. Text & layout: Rune Midtgaard

Gallery Home The Sidewinder differs from other rattlesnakes in the way it moves (among other things). As an adaption to the loose sand on which it is most often found, it is able to roll across the surface by "sidewinding", which allows a speedier progress. © Rune Midtgaard.