Threatened Snake Species Getting Help

An effort is underway to breed rattlesnakes and release them into the wild.

The Los Angeles Zoo joining the San Antonio Zoo, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on Phase 1 of what is called  The Rattlesnake Conservancy’s “Project Obscurus,” a landmark international recovery program for the federally threatened New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake.

The three zoos will participate in a head-start breeding program aimed at bolstering and diversifying the genetics of the U.S. populations of this rattlesnake through selective managed breeding and eventual release of offspring into their native habitat.

New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnakes are one of two federally protected species of rattlesnakes in the U.S., which serve important roles in their ecosystem as both predators and sometimes prey. Despite their shy nature and habit of avoiding humans, their numbers have drastically declined in recent decades.

Classified as Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake is a small (up to 66 cm in length) montane pit viper species that is usually pale gray to gray-brown and does not have prominent facial markings. It gets its name from the characteristic long triangular head with a sharp, up-turned edge along its upper snout. The back is marked with pale crossbars lined with darker coloration along the front and back edges. Native to Northwest Mexico, the species’ historical range includes Arizona and New Mexico.

New Mexico Ridge-nose rattlesanke_photo by Jamie Pham_photo courtesy of Los Angeles Zoo, Nov 1st 2024