BULLETIN FLORIDA MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY VOL. 38, PT. 1(5)


was the only individual observed over three winters. M3 used the same
overwintering areas in 1987-88 and 1988-89, which was different from the habitat
he had used in the winter of 1986-87.

 Ecdysis.- Ten sloughing events were recorded during the course of the study.
If all sloughings were successfully recorded, which is not certain since rattle
segments were not color-coded during this study, the interval between events
averaged 246.1 days (1.5 sloughings per snake per year). Klauber (1972) reported
that a captive C. adamanteus at the San Diego Zoo shed an average of 2.1 times
per year over a nine-year period, however, he was uncertain as to how captivity
affects shedding frequency in snakes. Diamondbacks were observed in the
"opaque" stage of ecdysis an average of 18.2 days (n=9).

 Defensive Behavior.- Much has been written about the impressive defensive
display of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Ditmars (1936) had this to say:
"Most formidable of the North American poisonous snakes and ranking in size
with the largest of the tropical venomous serpents of both the New and the Old
World, this huge rattlesnake with its bright and symmetrical markings is a
beautiful and a terrible creature. Ever bold and alert, retaining its wild nature
when captive, there is awe-inspiring grandeur about the coil of this reptile: the
glittering black eyes, the slowly waving tongue, and the incessant rasping note of
the rattle. All dignity, the diamond-back scorns to flee when surprised. His
neighbor, the cane-brake rattler, may retreat in good order, rattling as he goes, but
retreating nevertheless; with this reptile of the hummocks it is different. The
vibration of a step throws the creature upon guard. Taking a deep inhalation, the
snake inflates the rough, scaly body to the tune of a low, rushing sound of air.
Shifting the coils to uncover the rattle, this is 'sprung' with the abruptness of an
electric bell. There is no hysterical striking, but careful watching, and if the
opportunity to effect a blow is presented, the result may be mortal."
 Conant and Collins (1991) wrote that the diamondback was "an ominously
impressive snake to meet in the field; suddenly finding yourself in close proximity
to the compact coils, broad head, and loud buzzing rattle is almost certain to raise
the hair on the nape of your neck."
 In fact, the defensive behavior and subsequent reactions of C. adamanteus to
an immediate threat vary widely, from a seemingly unconcerned immobility to an
impressive, animated display, such as has been described above. Carr (1940) noted
that "there seems to be great individual variation in disposition; on a few occasions
I have heard diamond-backs rattle in apparent rage at my presence when they were
concealed in palmettos twenty or thirty feet away. Much more often, however, they
permit one to approach within two or three feet before becoming agitated. I have
stepped directly over two which showed no signs of resentment, and I once had the
unsettling experience of placing my foot squarely upon a six-foot individual coiled
neatly at the mouth of a gopher hole in thick broom-sedge, mashing its head into