Northwest Horned Rattlesnake. (Crotalus cerastes)

It is a viper that reaches the 50 cm to 80 cm of total length, with some records of specimens reaching up to 82.4 cm, where females reach the greatest lengths, unlike other species of rattlesnakes. Their most distinctive feature are the cairns-shaped scales, pointed and upward, which give them the name of “hornets”, which are able to fold down over the eye in the form of an “eyelid”, possibly protecting the eye when the snake moves underground in the burrows where it takes refuge.

Habitat:The horned viper is a desert species, commonly found in regions of fine sand dunes, but is not restricted to this type of habitat, and can be found in rocky or flat terrain, and is apparently more abundant where there is little vegetation.

Diet: It feeds mainly on small mammals such as kangaroo rats and pocket mice, as well as other burrowing rodents and a wide variety of lizards.

Location: Most often found in sandy and scrubland areas.