Photo credit:
Saúl Banda GarcÃa Granados
Instagram:@untalsulban
Common name
Queretaran Dusky Rattlesnake
Scientific name
Crotalus aquilus
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Federal and State Protections
Sujeta a Protección Especial (Pr)
Range Map
Countries of Occurrence
Mexico
Adult size
50 cm (20 in) - 67.8 cm (26.7 in)
States or Providence
Guanajuato, Hidalgo, México, Michoacán, Aguascalientes and San Luis PotosÃ
Counties
Species Description
This small rattlesnake can be found in the highlands of Central Mexico. The Queretaran dusky rattlesnake has a diverse diet including mammals, lizards, and other snakes - the Mexican pine snake and species of garter snakes are both recorded prey items for this rattlesnake. In their natural habitat, Crotalus aquilus prefers the edges of pine-oak forests, mesquite grasslands and subtropical montane scrublands, all with exposed rock formations. Due to human development, many subpopulations have adapted to using the fringes of cornfields, cattle pastures and rock piles created by dumping.
They are known to hybridize with Crotalus lepidus in parts of Aguascalientes and Zacatecas. These hybrids were found to have a small fraction of procoagulant activity in their venoms, which both of the parent species lack.
Fun fact: The specific epithet of this rattlesnake's name, "aquilus," means "eagle" which refers to the high elevation at which this rattlesnake lives: 5,000 to 14,500 ft above sea level!