HOW IS CORONAVIRUS AFFECTING THE ENVIRONMENT?
BECAUSE IT MATTERS
8/29/21
Aruba Island Rattlesnake
The Aruba Island rattlesnake is a type of rattlesnake with a short, stocky brown body and pink, blue, and brown diamond markings. They are vipers, meaning they have v-shaped heads and foldable hollow fangs. Some Aruba rattlesnakes have a pair of stripes down the head, neck, and down the body. Adults usually get to about 3 feet long, weighing only 2-3 pounds (0.9-1.4 kg), with males often being larger.
Most of the time, Aruba rattlesnakes are most active in the early morning and late evening, but during warmer months are nocturnal. They eat small rodents, birds and lizards. They are venomous, using their rattle to scare off predators, and although their venom is life-threatening to humans, they are non-aggressive and only bite when incited.
Image courtesy of Trisha Shears, Wikimedia commons
Aruba island rattlesnakes historically were only found on the island of Aruba in the Caribbean, but now their habitat is even smaller. These snakes now have only 25 square kilometers of undisturbed habitat.
Until 2021, they were listed as critically endangered, but unfortunately the IUCN cannot determine the endangered status of this snake because of lack of recent information.
Works Cited
Aruba Island Rattlesnake. Lincoln Park Zoo. (2021, February 16). https://www.lpzoo.org/animal/aruba-island-rattlesnake/.
Aruba Island Rattlesnake. Aruba Island Rattlesnake | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. (n.d.). https://www.jacksonvillezoo.org/aruba-island-rattlesnake.
Aruba Island Rattlesnake Attraction: Central Florida Zoo Animals. Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. (n.d.). https://www.centralfloridazoo.org/animals/aruba-island-rattlesnake/.
Cover Image courtesy of the Central Florida Zoo