|
:''Common names: black-tailed rattlesnake, green rattler,〔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.〕 Northern black-tailed rattlesnake.〔Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Comstock Publishing Associates. Ithaca and London. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-8014-0463-0.〕 '' ''Crotalus molossus'' is a venomous pit viper species found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Four subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. ==Description== This medium-sized species〔 averages from in length.〔Conant R. 1975. ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Second Edition.'' (published in 1958 ). Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. 429 pp. 48 plates. ISBN 0-395-19979-4 (hc), ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (pb).〕 Large specimens are usually not much more than long, although lengths of (Gloyd, 1940), (Klauber, 1972), and (Shaw & Campbell, 1974) have been reported.〔 The females tend to be larger than the males. They range in color from yellows and olive greens to browns and black. As their name implies, one of their most distinguishing features is, despite variations in body color, the tail scales are entirely black. Often, this rattlesnake has a black band across its eyes and diagonally down to the corners of its mouth, forming a sort of facial 'mask'. Like other rattlesnakes, ''C. molossus'' has a rattle composed of keratin on the end of its tail. Each time the snake sheds its skin, a new segment is added to the rattle. They can shed their skin several times a year, and the rattle is fairly fragile and can be broken, so the length of a rattlesnake's rattle is not an accurate measure of its age, unless the terminal button is intact. 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 molossus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|