Growth and Feeding of Newborn Price's and Green Rock Rattlesnakes

Abstract

On August 9th, 1941, a 429 mm. female green rock rattlesnake, Crotalus lepidus klauberi, collected in Carr Canyon, Huachuca Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona, gave birth to four young, three males and one female. At 12 noon, when they were first found, three had already been born, but the fourth did not emerge until an hour later. All were irritable from the first, promptly broke the membranous sacs in which they were enclosed and struck violently at any passing object. All were marked and colored much like the adults except that the delicate pink along the venter of the latter was not in evidence; and the tails, which in the adult are salmon or terra cotta red (including the basal segment of the rattle) were brilliant sulphur yellow for at least their distal half and the pre-button of the rattle.