- The southern tip of Aruba, a volcanic island off the Venezuelan coast, has a rocky desert-like terrain with arroyos and cactus-covered hills in which the rattlesnakes make their dens. In 1996, the IUCN estimated the snakes' numbers in the wild at less than 250.
- Up to 3 feet in length, the pale gray to peach rattlesnakes may have striped heads and necks. They live up to 20 years and begin mating at age 3, according to the Jacksonville Zoo.
- Mating between September and January, the wild snakes produce from five to 12 live young that begin hunting after their first molt. Aruba Island rattlesnakes are born with venom.
- Hunting at night in the heat of the year and in early morning or before dusk at other times, the wild snakes kill small rodents and birds with their venom before swallowing them whole. They require only a few annual kills to survive.
- In 1997, Aruba included most of the snakes' habitat in newly created Arikok National Park. The donation-supported American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Species Survival Program works with the Aruban government to raise public awareness of the snakes' endangered status.
Geography
Identification
Reproduction
Hunting
Conservation
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