Description

• large head and a bulky body
• row of large dark diamonds with brown centers and cream borders down its back
• color of the body ranges from olive, to brown, to almost black
• tail is usually a different shade, brownish or gray, and banded with dark rings. At the end of the tail is a well-developed rattle
• head has a light bordered dark stripe running diagonally through the eye
• pupil is vertical (catlike)
• large pit between the nostril and eye (Pit Vipers)

Habitat

The Eastern Diamondback resides in the palmetto flatwoods and dry pinelands of the South. It generally avoids marshes and swamps, but on occasion will live near the borders of wetlands. Occasionally it may venture into salt water, swimming to the outlying Keys off the Florida coast.

Range

The Eastern Diamondback lives in the coastal lowlands, ranging from southeast North Carolina to eastern Louisiana, and throughout Florida, including the Florida Keys