Rattlesnakes are native species to the America’s southwest with lifespans ranging from 20-30 years. Rattlesnakes have 32 different species, and 83 different subspecies split into genera Crotalus and Sistrurus. Habitats that these snakes live in are very versatile, and their diets includes small mammals and reptiles. They have a unique defense mechanism with a rattle on the end of their tails: when threatened these snakes will vibrate their tails causing the buttons to make a rattling sound. Buttons on the rattle are brittle and can fall off if damaged, but a new one forms after every shed; therefore, you cannot usually look at rattles for age. Each species of rattlesnake has different venom components, and one species may have a more lethal
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Most rattlesnakes face their habitats being destroyed by human expansion and development. Cars running them over is one of the big factors of them dying. People out of fear will kill the snakes not knowing their vital role in the ecosystem, and kill the snakes even if the snake is not a threat to them. They also have to face the fungal pathogen Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola; this disease has a high mortality rate in Timber and Massasauga rattlesnakes. There is no treatment for this disease so far. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake are used in Rattle Snake Round Ups, and over 10,000s of pounds of snakes are killed a year. The snakes will be taken out of their dens by force with gasoline, which is harmful to them and the habitats in that area. The people who run the round ups defend their cruel actions by stating they are helping overpopulation, even though there has never been a rattlesnake overpopulation problem recorded. They will put the snakes in a freezer to inhibit movement and sew their mouths to prevent bites.
There several conservation groups for the rattlesnake species like, The Eastern Diamondback Conservation Foundation (EDCF) and The Rattlesnake Preservation Trust. There are several laws in different states that protect from killing rattlesnakes as well as other species of snakes. Conservation efforts are trying to ban rattlesnake round ups, in order to preserve the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake species. Also, researchers are trying to find a cause and treatment for the fungal disease that is killing
Most rattlesnakes face their habitats being destroyed by human expansion and development. Cars running them over is one of the big factors of them dying. People out of fear will kill the snakes not knowing their vital role in the ecosystem, and kill the snakes even if the snake is not a threat to them. They also have to face the fungal pathogen Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola; this disease has a high mortality rate in Timber and Massasauga rattlesnakes. There is no treatment for this disease so far. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake are used in Rattle Snake Round Ups, and over 10,000s of pounds of snakes are killed a year. The snakes will be taken out of their dens by force with gasoline, which is harmful to them and the habitats in that area. The people who run the round ups defend their cruel actions by stating they are helping overpopulation, even though there has never been a rattlesnake overpopulation problem recorded. They will put the snakes in a freezer to inhibit movement and sew their mouths to prevent bites.
There several conservation groups for the rattlesnake species like, The Eastern Diamondback Conservation Foundation (EDCF) and The Rattlesnake Preservation Trust. There are several laws in different states that protect from killing rattlesnakes as well as other species of snakes. Conservation efforts are trying to ban rattlesnake round ups, in order to preserve the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake species. Also, researchers are trying to find a cause and treatment for the fungal disease that is killing