Sidewinder

The Sidewinder, Crotalus cerastes, is a species of rattlesnake that inhabits lowland deserts of the southwestern United States, including Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah, and northern Mexico. This species is nocturnal during hot months and diurnal during the cooler months of the year. Some people call this snake the Horned Rattlesnake because of the raised horn-like scales above its eyes.

The sidewinder was named for its unusual form of movement, which is though to give it traction on windblown desert sand, but this peculiar movement is used on any surface that the sidewinder can traverse over rapidly. As its body progresses over loose sand, it forms a letter-J shaped impression, with the tip of the hook pointing in the direction of travel.

While the sidewinder is venomous, it possesses a weaker venom than many other rattlesnakes, and the small size of the venom glands make it less dangerous than it’s larger cousins. Still a bite is extremely dangerous and an untreated bite can possibly be fatal. Juvenile sidewinders use their tails to attract lizard prey. Adult sidewinders lose this behavior as they make the transition from lizard prey to their primary diet of desert rodents.

Sidewinders produce up to 18 young, with an average of about 10 per litter. The young are born enveloped in thin embryonic membranes out of which they emerge shortly after birth. The young stay with the mother in a burrow for 7 to 10 days, shed for their first time, then leave the burrow.