USFWS NM: Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake update—what we’ve done and where we’re going

Smith, Clinton

clinton_smith@fws.gov

US Fish and Wildlife Service

New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office

Albuquerque, NM USA

The New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus) was listed as a federally threatened species in 1978. It is one of five recognized subspecies of the Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi), a North American pitviper (Crotalinae) belonging to the family Viperidae. This rattlesnake was listed primarily due to its narrowly restricted range, coupled with over collection and habitat modification. Its range includes three isolated populations occurring in the Peloncillo Mountains of southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona, the Animas Mountains in the southwestern corner of New Mexico, and the Sierra San Luis Mountains in northern Mexico. My update includes what recently has been done for C. w. obscurus (listing and recovery), and upcoming potential conservation and recovery work.