Crotalus cerastes laterorepens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crotalus cerastes laterorepensColorado Desert sidewinder |
|
|---|---|
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Crotalus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
C. c. laterorepens
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Crotalus cerastes laterorepens Klauber, 1944
|
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The Colorado Desert sidewinder (scientific name: Crotalus cerastes laterorepens) is a special type of venomous snake. It belongs to a group called pitvipers. This snake is a subspecies, which means it's a specific kind within a larger snake family.
You can find this sidewinder mainly in the Sonoran Desert. This desert stretches across Southern California in the United States. It also lives in other parts of the Southwestern United States and into Northwestern Mexico.
What Does It Look Like?
The Colorado Desert sidewinder is a unique snake. It has some special features that help scientists tell it apart.
- Rattle color: Adult sidewinders have a black area near their rattle. This part is called the proximal rattle-matrix lobe.
- Belly scales: The scales on its belly are called ventral scales. Males usually have between 137 and 151 of these scales. Females have a few more, typically 135 to 154.
- Tail scales: Underneath its tail, it has scales called subcaudals. Males have about 19 to 26 of these. Females have fewer, usually 14 to 21.
- Back scales: If you look at the middle of its body, you'll see scales on its back. These are called dorsal scales. The Colorado Desert sidewinder usually has 23 rows of these scales.
Where Does It Live?
The Colorado Desert sidewinder lives in hot, dry places. Its home is mainly in the Sonoran Desert.
- United States: You can find it in central and eastern Riverside County, California. Its range also extends to Pinal County, Arizona.
- Mexico: South of the border, it lives in northwestern Sonora and northeastern Baja California states.
These snakes prefer areas near the Lower Colorado River Valley. They also live in the desert foothills nearby. They are found at elevations between 152 and 610 meters (about 500 to 2,000 feet) above sea level.
Scientists first officially recorded this type of sidewinder in "The Narrows, San Diego County, California." This place is known as its type locality.
Another way to describe its home is the desert areas of southeastern California. It also lives in southwestern Arizona. Plus, it's found in the western part of the Sonoran Desert.
