2008 AHS Spring Field Trip, Mount Magazine State Park and Surrounding Areas, Logan and Yell Counties, Arkansas, USA
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Breeding Pair Series: 1 of 36.
This is pretty close to what I saw under this ledge as I came around the curve of the steep, rocky slope.
The movement of black and white banding--fuzzy from the distance I was at--caught my eye first. I *wanted* to think WDR, but wouldn't they likely be coiled on top of their tails when first spotted?
As I took about four quick but careful steps forward, I knew it was a WDR! I think I called out "ATROX!!!" immediately at that point to Brad and Van who were checking different levels of the slope above me.
My next thought was that the movement was because I had already been spotted! I feared the WDR was on the verge of darting back into a crevice and I was still quite a distance from it. It crossed my mind that I would miss pictures, that Brad and Van would miss seeing it...that I would get only a brief, tantalizing glimpse of a ghost before it disappeared.
Then my eyes came into better focus and I realized that it was a "mass" of snakes! I had fleeting visions of a mass den site, like one might find out West...but wait...
No, not just a "mass"...a PAIR!
This all transpired in the span of about 20 seconds. Things go kind of fuzzy for a bit after that. I think I just kind of started giving a weak-voiced play-by-play to Brad and Van as they made their way down the hill. I wished they could "jump into my head" and witness the spectacle...I still didn't think it was going to last long.
Soon enough, however, we had all three settled onto a rock ledge about 15m away that had a good vantage point. We were pretty certain the male was aware of our presence, but he seemed much more interested in "other matters". So, we simply watched, and talked, and collected a bit of data for several minutes.
We noted at least 4-6 definite copulation attempts and 100s of chin thrusts by the male as he crawled all over and around the female. The female seemed fairly receptive, but we are uncertain as to whether any actual copulation took place.
