Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

by Alice Delaney

The western diamondback rattlesnake

Is a native who warns all with a great tail shake.

She adds a rattle every time she sheds,

Which helps you avoid a poisonous bite ahead.

You’d find her in deserts, brush, grasses and woodlands;

She slithers around on the ground to accomplish errands.

This reptile loves small mammals & ground dwelling birds;

They are what her long tummy actually prefers!

This predator smells prey as her tongue touches the air;

With such ease it is done, to the hunted it seems unfair!

Her face senses heat, adding to the ability,

So Mrs. Diamondback’s dinner is a settled matter, you see.

These rattlesnakes have bitten humans, it’s true;

Most venomous bites here are in fact done by this crew.

Worry not if the matter seems totally unfair,

Mrs. Diamondback’s hunted by other animals & birds of the air!