Southwestern+Speckled+Rattlesnake-+Rachel+Mussenden

=Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake=

Common Name and Scientific Name
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (//crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus)//

===Habitat===

The Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake is located, and has always been located, in western Arizona, southern California, southeastern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and southern Baja California Norte. It is mainly found in more arid regions strewn with rocks and boulders, or alongside buttes, mesas, and desert outcroppings. Sometimes but rarely found on loose soil.

Mating: mating occurs in the spring, 3-11 young are produced over a short gestational period.
The Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake is a solitary animal and predator.

Population Expansion
This species could fill the niche left by the Black-footed Ferret because they have a similar diet, including the prairie dog, which is the Black-footed Ferret's staple food source. They also inhabit the same area of the Southwestern/Midwestern United States.

Species in Competition
The black-footed ferret is critically endangered, but with the help of conservation efforts it has been reintroduced to the wild and its numbers are growing rapidly. However, this does only mean there are a few hundred living in the wild as of now. The Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake, not being an endangered species, is abundant throughout the American Southwest, but is not experiencing an inflation in numbers, nor is it experiencing a decrease in numbers. Because of this, it would probably take about a year for the Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake to take over for the Black-footed Ferret, judging by the sheer difference of numbers.