Photos

Another shot from yesterdays trip to the Singapore Zoological Gardens with Mark Patton (ROAMERMARK).

This was taken at the reptile exhibit inside the zoo.
Using a Canon 5D, with Canon EF100mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

"The Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) is the largest venomous snake in North America and can grow up to 8 feet in length, but average size is three to six feet. The body is generally a shade of dark or light brown. Its pattern is a distinctive row of large, dark diamond shapes edged in yellow trim, running down the length of its body. The diamonds fade to dark rings around the tail, where the distinctive rattle begins. A dark stripe edged in yellow runs back from the mouth to the eyes on each side of the head. There is no significant difference in appearance between males and females except that males are generally larger.

Though large and bulky in appearance, the snake can strike up to two-thirds of its body length. That's about a three to four foot striking range for larger specimens. It strikes with two large, hollow fangs which inject venom into its prey eventually killing it (venom is lethal to small animals within minutes). The fangs are retractable and replaceable as venomous snakes lose and replace fangs often. Movement is in a rectilinear fashion (unlike sidewinders).

The longest examples of this species, both collected in Florida, were 2.67 m (8.8 feet) and 2.57 m (8.4 feet), respectively. At this length, these snakes may have weighed as much as 22.5 kg (50 lb).

Eastern diamondbacks can live beyond twenty years, but life expectancy is typically shorter because of hunting and human expansion. Solitary outside of mating season they are one of the more aggressive species found in North America because they rarely back away from confrontation. When threatened they usually coil and shake their rattle to warn aggressors- they stumbled upon something dangerous. There is suspicion that some rattlesnakes (and the diamondback in particular) which generally live around populated areas do not rattle as often because it leads to the snake’s discovery and consequent destruction. However, there is little available evidence of this hypothesis.

The snake is a poor climber and primarily hunts small mammals, but will also feed on birds, small reptiles and amphibians. They may even hunt rabbits. They hunt (or ambush prey) at night or early morning using a type of infrared sense prominently found in pit vipers. Hawks, eagles, and other snakes can prey on young or adolescent diamondbacks."*

*Wikipedia

I hope you like the shot,
- Dan