Common Name: Great Basin Rattlesnake
Scientific Name: Crotalus viridis lutosus
Size (length) English & Metric: 16-64" (40.6-162.6cm)
Habitat: Rocky outcrops, talus slopes, stony canyons, prairie dog towns; below 11,000'
Diet: Small mammals, birds, lizards, snakes, and amphibians
Predators: Hawks and raptors
The great basin rattlesnake is a subspecies of a pit viper. Exhibiting 32-50 dorsal blotches on its body, the snake is the dangerous predator. It prefers to wait and watch before predation. In Utah, the snake is officially protected.  |
| Great Basin Rattlesnake(Pit Viper) |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Squamata |
| Suborder | Serpentes |
| Family | Viperidae |
| Genus | Crotalus |
| Species | Crotalus oreganus |
| Scientific Name | Crotalus oreganus lutosus |
Description
The Great Basin Rattlesnake(Pit Viper) is light brown or gray with a tapering row of brownish blotches down the midline of the back. Scales are large and keeled (not flat and smooth) in 25-27 rows.
Color: Olive brown, pale brown or gray, or yellowish brown body
Distribution
The United States in the Great Basin region. Its range includes Idaho south of lat. 44° North, Utah west of long. 111° West, Arizona west and north of the Colorado River as well as the north rim of the Grand Canyon, the entire state of Nevada (excluding Esmeralda, Nye and Clark counties), California east of the Sierra Nevada from Lower Klamath Lake south to below Lake Mono, Oregon south and east of the line Upper Klamath Lake–Fort Rock–Burns–Council (Idaho). Inhabits the dry and barren areas of the Great Basin region, being found on hills, summits and old lake benches. They are said to prefer southern exposures among rocks and boulders on hillsides and buttes, low foothills, mountainsides, open deserts, alfalfa fields and valley floors.
Diet
Great Basin Rattlesnake(Pit Viper) feeds on bird eggs, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians.
More Facts about Great Basin Rattlesnake(Pit Viper)
| Breeding Season | Spring |
| Mode of Reproduction | Ovoviparous |
| Litter Size | 4-12 |
| Venom Fact | Highly venomous |
| Lifespan | 17-19 years |
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