Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Map Shows Habitats in US States

The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is a species of venomous pit viper endemic to the Southeastern United States.

Known for its formidable size and distinctive markings, it holds the title of being one of the heaviest venomous snakes in the Americas. The snake can reach impressive lengths of up to 8 feet and weigh as much as 34 pounds.

Its appearance is marked by a coloration that ranges from brown to olive, adorned with diamond-shaped patterns along its back, each outlined by yellowish scales.

Where Do Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes Live?

Its range extends across southeastern regions from North Carolina down through the Florida Keys, and west to Louisiana, inhabiting a range of environments including upland dry pine forests, coastal flatwoods, and sandy mixed woodlands.

This species is both a proficient ground dweller and an adept swimmer, occasionally observed crossing water bodies between barrier islands and the mainland.

Is the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Dangerous?

Primarily subsisting on a diet of small mammals and birds, the eastern diamondback is known for its distinctive rattle, which is made up of loosely attached segments that produce a warning sound when the snake feels threatened.

The venom of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake is highly potent and can be fatal if not treated promptly. However, the snake generally avoids human contact.

The World Health Organization has estimated that between approximately 81,000 and 138,000 people die from snake bites each year worldwide. In the U.S., a 2020 study in the Cureus peer-reviewed medical journal said that every year an average of five people died from snake bites and there were an estimated 1,989 nonfatal rattlesnake bites. Untreated eastern diamondback rattlesnake bites have a fatality rate of 10 to 20 percent, it added.

Earlier this year, a team of international scientists from a U.K. university published research on how this number could be reduced.

Among their recommendations were increased education in areas that house populations of venomous snakes, and the stricter following of government guidelines on snake bite prevention.

The study suggested that a better understanding of snakes would temper fears around the animals, thus reducing snake-human conflict.

“Snakes offer important ecosystem services to rural communities in these areas, pest control for example, which indirectly manages the spread of disease and supports crop yields,” Harrison Carter, who led the study as part of a masters in conservation and biodiversity at the University of Exeter, told Newsweek at the time.

“I believe the extent of this snake fear drives the killing of snakes, where if fewer bites occurred through effective prevention, tolerance to snakes would improve. This isn’t just a human health issue, it’s a human-wildlife coexistence issue—disaster even—and cannot afford to be overlooked any longer,” he added.

Newsweek has previously mapped Black Widow spider populations across the United States. Just one state was safe—Alaska.

Newsweek’s Brown Recluse spider map also illustrates the habitats of this venomous arachnid.

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