第 0517 號，共 1 402 號

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

Crotalus adamanteus

可能致命不治療的話可能會害死你。如果牠咬了你，要趕快求救。

咬吃：肉

The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is a pit viper that lives in the southeastern United States. It is the largest rattlesnake species and one of the heaviest venomous snakes in the Americas. Its diamond-patterned back and loud rattle make it easy to recognise, and it is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous venomous snakes in North America.1

分布在

Southeastern United States, from southeastern North Carolina through Florida to the Florida Keys, and west to southeastern Louisiana1

北美洲

首頁

It lives in upland dry pine forests, flatwoods, sandhills, coastal hammocks, cypress swamps and salt marshes. It often shelters in burrows made by gophers and gopher tortoises.1

長度

1,1 m 到 2,4 m (3,6 ft 到 7,9 ft)1

體重

800 g 到 15 kg (1,8 lb 到 34 lb)1

最高速度

大約 4,2 km/h（2,6 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It hunts small mammals, especially rabbits and rice rats, and also eats birds. It either actively searches for prey or waits coiled in ambush for up to a week. After striking and releasing its prey, it follows the scent trail the dying animal leaves.1

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake 的照片 — Eastern diamondback rattlesnake。照片：Caudatejake。 CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

Dark brown to black diamond-shaped blotches on a brownish, grey or olive background, each outlined with cream or yellowish scales1
A dark stripe runs from behind each eye to the mouth corner, edged above and below by white or yellow stripes1
A rattle of hollow segments at the tail tip, which break off and are replaced when the snake sheds1
Five to ten bands around the tail, below the diamond pattern1
A large, heavy body, with adults often around 1.1 to 1.7 m long1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Its venom contains more than 100 different toxins, and about 40 have been identified, making it one of the most studied snake venoms. The venom contains a thrombin-like enzyme called crotalase, which clots fibrinogen, a protein needed for blood clotting. The estimated human lethal dose is 100 to 150 mg.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 非常危險如果沒有治療，牠可能會害死一個人。

It has a reputation as the most dangerous venomous snake in North America. It is not usually aggressive, but it is large and powerful. Reported mortality from untreated bites is 10 to 20% in some studies and 30% in another, and it is a major cause of fatal snakebites within its range.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When threatened, it raises the front half of its body in an S-shaped coil, rattles loudly, and can strike to at least a third of its body length.1

如果牠咬人

讓傷者保持不動和冷靜，讓被咬的手臂或腿保持在和心臟一樣的高度，取下戒指和緊身的東西，並趕快送醫院。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多重？

跟 4 隻家貓一樣重

跟 5 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 13 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長可以在 86 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake 大約 4,2 km/h (2,6 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

It is the largest rattlesnake species. One specimen shot in 1946 measured 2.4 m and weighed 15.4 kg.1

In proportion to its length, it has the longest fangs of any rattlesnake, with fangs of over 25 mm expected in a 2.4 m adult.1

It can strike its prey within a tenth of a second.1

It can swim well and has been seen crossing water sometimes miles from land.1

Although mainly ground-dwelling, it has been spotted up to 10 m above the ground in bushes and trees.1

Males are usually larger than females, which is a rare pattern called reverse sexual size dimorphism.1

破解迷思

迷思： The eastern diamondback must rattle before it strikes.

真相： It can strike while completely silent. Some individuals stay quiet even when approached closely.1

給毒液專家

學名: Crotalus adamanteus
類群: 響尾蛇
家人: Viperidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 北美洲
寶寶: It gives birth to live young, between 4 and 28 at a time, usually from July to early October. The newborns are 30 to 36 cm long and look like adults, except they have a small button instead of a rattle.1
牠在野外的狀況: Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2001), but its population trend is down. It is under review for the US Endangered Species List, and it is considered endangered in North Carolina.1
對人的危險: 4 / 5: 非常危險3