Photo credit:
Evan Arambul
Common name
Banded Rock Rattlesnake
Scientific name
Crotalus lepidus klauberi
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Federal and State Protections
Sujeta a Protección Especial (Pr) - Mexico
Range Map
Countries of Occurrence
United States of America, Mexico
Adult size
States or Providence
Arizona (US), New Mexico (US), Texas (US), Chihuahua (MX), Durango (MX), Zacatecas (MX), Jalisco (MX)
Counties
Cochise (AZ), Santa Cruz (AZ), Pima (AZ), Catrone (NM), Grant (NM), Hidalgo (NM), Dona Ana (NM), Sierra (NM)
Species Description
This relatively small rattlesnake rarely exceeds lengths of 24 inches. It is usually grayish with dark bands, but it can take on a pinkish or greenish hue. Much of its diet consists of lizards but it also eats mammals, birds, centipedes, and other snakes on occasion. It can be found in the southwestern United States and in Mexico.
Banded rock rattlesnakes also display a level of sexual dimorphism with regard to color, where females are typically grayer while males often have an olive "green" coloration.
Neonates are known to stay close to their mother until their first shed, usually 9-11 days after birth.
This subspecies is threatened by poaching and destruction of their microhabitat by over-zealous individuals trying to locate them.
Fun fact: Crotalus lepidus klauberi is named after renowned herpetologist Laurence Monroe Klauber. He described at least 50 new taxa of reptiles and donated thousands of specimens to the San Diego Natural History Museum.