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:''Common names: sidewinder, horned rattlesnake, sidewinder rattlesnake,〔Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-8014-0463-0.〕 more'' ''Crotalus cerastes'' is a venomous pit viper species belonging to the genus ''Crotalus (rattlesnakes)'' and found in the desert regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. ==Description== A small species, adult specimens measure between 43 cm and 76 cm (17 and 30 in) in length.〔 Most adults are 50–80 cm (19.8 to 32 in) in length.〔Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2.〕 The females are larger than the males, which is unusual for this group of snakes.〔Stidworthy J. 1974. Snakes of the World. Grosset & Dunlap Inc. 160 pp. ISBN 0-448-11856-4.〕 Usually, 21 rows of keeled dorsal scales occur midbody.〔〔Behler JL, King FW. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. LCCCN 79-2217. ISBN 0-394-50824-6.〕 Males have 141 or fewer ventral scales; females have 144 or fewer.〔 It is sometimes referred to as the horned rattlesnake because of the raised supraocular scales above its eyes. This adaptation may help shade the eyes or prevent sand drifting over them as the snake lies almost buried in it.〔 The color pattern consists of a ground color that may be cream, buff, yellowish-brown, pink, or ash gray, overlaid with 28-47 dorsal blotches subrhombic or subelliptical in shape.〔 In the nominate subspecies, the belly is white and the proximal lobe of the rattle is brown in adults. Klauber and Neill describe the ability of this species to display different coloration depending on the temperature—a process known as metachrosis.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Crotalus cerastes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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