Banded Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus klauberi)

Banded Rock Rattlesnake
Photograph by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. License: Public Domain. (view image details)

BANDED ROCK RATTLESNAKE FACTS

Description
The Banded Rock Rattlesnake is light grey with darker grey banding that varies greatly from habitat to habitat. The ground color may even be green or purplish in some areas. Snakes from the Franklin Mountain range in Texas are pearl silver with black bands. C. lepidus klauberi does not have mottling between the darker bands like other subspecies.

Other Names
Blue rattlesnake, Green rattlesnake, Rock rattlesnake.

Size
length 60cm

Environment
Often found in canyons, scree slopes, road cuts, rock crevices.

Food
small mammals, lizards and sometimes frogs.

Breeding
Ovoviviparous, with females giving birth to 2-8 young in the spring.

Range
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico (south to Jalisco)

Notes
They are not aggressive and rely on their camouflage to avoid predators. They usually do not strike or rattle their tails unless harassed. The venom is primarily a haemotoxin, but has been known to have significant neurotoxic effects as well.

Classification

Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata (Serpentes)
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Crotalus
Species:	lepidus klauberi
Common Name:	Banded Rock Rattlesnake

Relatives in same Genus
  Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (C. adamanteus)
  Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (C. atrox)
  Sidewinder (C. cerastes)
  Baja California Rattlesnake (C. enyo)
  Timber Rattlesnake (C. horridus)
  Rock Rattlesnake (C. lepidus lepidus)
  Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (C. mitchellii pyrrhus)
  Blacktail Rattlesnake (C. molossus molossus)
  Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (C. oreganus helleri)
  Great Basin Rattlesnake (C. oreganus lutosus)
  Northern Pacific Rattlenake (C. oreganus oreganus)
  Twin-spotted Rattlesnake (C. pricei)
  Red Diamond Rattlesnake (C. ruber)
  Mojave Rattlesnake (C. scutulatus)
  Tiger Rattlesnake (C. tigris)
  Hopi Rattlesnake (C. viridis nuntius)
  Arizona Ridgenose Rattlesnake (C. willardi willardi)

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