aruba_rattlesnake

The Aruba Island rattlesnake, also called the Arubian cascabel, is the one of the rarest rattlesnakes in the world. It is about three feet long and has distinctive markings in pale pink, blue and brown.
The Aruba Island rattlesnake is found only on the southern end of the small volcanic island of Aruba, located in the Netherlands Antilles, 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela.

The southern end of Aruba is a rocky, dry, largely uninhabited area which is sometimes referred to as cunucu land. It is covered with cactus scrub and other thorny plants. The snakes are usually found in rocky arroyos and adjacent hills.
Small lizards, frogs, mammals and birds are thought to make up the diet of the rattlesnake.
The mating season on Aruba lasts from September to January. Aruba Island rattlesnakes are live bearers rather than egg-layers, and five to twelve young are born sometime in the spring.

It is not known how many Aruba Island rattlesnakes remain in the wild. It is listed as threatened in the IUCN Red Data Book and by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.


Only ten square miles of relatively undisturbed habitat remain on Aruba. Resort development and other forms of human encroachment are the biggest threat to the rattlesnake. In past centuries, much of the island's trees were cut down for charcoal and firewood, and some land was used for aloe cultivation. Introduced feral goats have wreaked havoc on the vegetation, even at the southern end of the island. There are also some concerns about the number of snakes being captured for pets or killed for their rattles. While export of the snake from the island is illegal, it has no other legal protection.