Stats

Lifespan: 16-22 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Cathemeral
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: Eastern North America
Movement: Slithering
Breeding: Live birth
Defense: Venom
Status: Uncommon

About

A heavy-bodied pit viper of eastern U.S. forests, patterned with dark chevron crossbands over a yellow-to-black ground color. Its rattle is built from loosely interlocked keratin segments that click together when vibrated, producing a buzz audible from many meters away as a warning before it strikes.

Life cycle

1.
hatchling
A miniature snake emerges from the egg or from its mother (live-bearers), already venomous or strong-coiled in some species.
2.
juvenile
A juvenile sheds its skin, grows quickly, and hunts smaller prey than the adults.
3.
adult
Fully grown at adult length and pattern.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Viperidae
Genus: Crotalus
Species: Crotalus horridus