The Sidewinder
The sidewinder is 17 to 35 inches long with dark patches on a cream, grey, pink or tan body. There is an eye stripe from the outer corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth.
Sidewinders have a unique way of traveling. they travel sideways by lifting the front part of their body and setting it down a short distance away in the direction of travel. Then they lift the back part of their body and set it down parallel to where it was before. This leaves a series of parallel �j� shaped tracks at a 30� angle to the direction of travel in the sand. The dot of the �j� is where the head rests and the hook is where the tail drags. Sidewinders can also travel serpentine mode, the usual way that snakes travel, if they have to.
On top of the eyes are horn-like scales. These "horns" serve two purposes. When sidewinders burrow, the pressure from the ground pushes down the horns, which cover and protect their eyes. Also, the horn-like projections contain a heat-sensing organ to help them track prey.
You can usually find sidewinders on sandy desert flats, rocky hillsides or sandy washes from below sea level to 4500 ft above sea level.
The sidewinder eats pocket mice, kangaroo rats, lizards and sometimes birds. Young sidewinders prefer lizards, while older ones prefer rodents. When hunting, lizards are bitten, then held until the venom takes effect. Rodents are bitten, released, then tracked down and eaten. Sidewinder venom is deadly, but because of it�s small size, the sidewinder is less of a threat than other rattlesnakes.
The sidewinder is usually nocturnal. But it will be active at dusk and in the day if it�s cool enough. On days when it�s too hot to be active, the sidewinder stays in animal burrows or coiled up at the base of a bush.
Sidewinders mate April through May. The female lays 5 to 20 eggs. When they hatch, the young will be 6 to 8" in legth.
The sidewinders range from Nevada to Mexico and from California to Arizona.
Subspecies:
� Mojave Desert Sidewinder
Crotalus cerastes cerastes
Bottom segment of rattle brown.
� Sonoran Desert Sidewinder
Crotalus cerastes cercobombus
Bottom segment of rattle black.
� Colorado Desert Sidewinder
Crotalus cerastes laterorepens
Basal segment of rattle black.
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