Crotalus unicolor

(Van Lidth de Jeude, 1887)

Vernacular names
English : Aruba island rattlesnake
French : Crotale d’Aruba

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Squamata
Family : Viperidae
Notes : No subspecies known. Sometimes treated as a subspecies of C. durissus.

Identification
Adults can reach a length of 1.80 m. Heavy-bodied species with strongly keeled scales. Pink-cream coloration, becoming grey on tail. Dark brown losange markings, sometimes very faint on back. Faint longitudinal bands on neck.

Range and habitat
This species is endemic to the small island of Aruba, located off the coasts of Venezuela. Lives in savannas and more or less dry woodlands.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (as C. durissus unicolor)
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species is one of the most endangered species of rattlesnakes and member of the Viperidae family in the world. It is nearly extinct in the wild because of generalized habitat loss. Most of the remaining specimens are now kept in captivity where their breeding is coordinated in zoos by a conservation program.
Ex-Situ Programs : SSP in America

Observation

 

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