第 0521 號，共 1 402 號

Prairie rattlesnake

Crotalus viridis

需要看醫生很少致命，但被咬了需要看醫生。

咬吃：肉

The prairie rattlesnake is a venomous pit viper that lives across the Great Plains and the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is found in the western United States, southwestern Canada and northern Mexico. It shakes its tail to give a rattling warning when it feels threatened.1

分布在

Western United States, southwestern Canada and northern Mexico, mainly across the Great Plains1

北美洲

首頁

Prairie rattlesnakes prefer dry areas with moderate vegetation. Many live in rocky areas with outcrops that serve as den sites. They also use the burrows of other animals and sometimes rest in crevices or caves.1

長度

1,5 m (5 ft)1

最高速度

大約 3,7 km/h（2,3 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

Prairie rattlesnakes mostly eat small mammals, such as ground squirrels, mice, rats, small rabbits and prairie dogs. They also sometimes eat ground-nesting birds, amphibians, reptiles and other snakes, especially juveniles.1

Prairie rattlesnake 的照片 — Prairie rattlesnake。照片：Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM。 CC0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

Usually lightly coloured in shades of brown, with patches of dark brown along the back1
A colour band may be seen at the back of the eye1
A triangle-shaped head with pit sensory organs on either side1
Usually four internasal scales on the snout, with three or more in total1
Commonly grows to more than 100 cm long1

常被誤認為： Other rattlesnakes can look similar. A key difference is that two internasal scales touch the rostral scale, at the tip of the snout, in the prairie rattlesnake.1

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？

The venom is a complex mixture of proteins, including enzymes such as proteases and peptidases. It is hemotoxic, meaning it damages blood and destroys tissue. It also has neurotoxic properties, meaning it attacks the nerves.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 嚴重被咬了需要看醫生。死亡案例非常罕見。

The species has powerful venom and uses about 20 to 55% of its venom in one bite. It will defend itself if it is threatened or injured.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

It rapidly vibrates its tail to make a rasping rattle that warns intruders, and it will defend itself if threatened or injured.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？

跟 3 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 8 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長可以在 97 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Prairie 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)

Prairie rattlesnake 大約 3,7 km/h (2,3 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

Females often gather in communal dens to give birth and care for their young. Some females even look after unrelated young while the mothers take a break.1

Newborn snakelets measure 22 to 28 cm and are venomous from the moment they are born.1

Prairie rattlesnakes prefer a straight migration path, even in areas dominated by humans, because it gives them a better chance of survival.1

In Montana, the species reaches its largest size, with specimens sometimes exceeding 120 cm.1

In Canada, the species is listed as a species of special concern because its numbers have steadily declined since the 1930s.1

給毒液專家

學名: Crotalus viridis
類群: 響尾蛇
家人: Viperidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 北美洲
寶寶: It gives birth to one to 25 live young per litter, typically four to 12, in late summer or early fall.1
牠在野外的狀況: Least concern on the IUCN Red List. It is listed as endangered in Iowa and as a species of special concern in Canada.1
對人的危險: 3 / 5: 嚴重3