diamondback rattlesnake

American  

noun

1. either of two large, highly venomous rattlesnakes of the genus Crotalus, having diamond-shaped markings on the back.

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Etymology

Origin of diamondback rattlesnake

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

He didn’t have time to pull back before the object, a four-and-a-half-foot diamondback rattlesnake, bit him on his wrist.

From New York Times

The Western diamondback rattlesnake is a master of nonverbal communication.

From New York Times

In this study, scientists experimented by moving a human-like torso closer to a western diamondback rattlesnake and recording the response.

From BBC

I grew up eating Georgia Rattlesnake watermelons — that's really what they're called, because the dark green stripes resemble a diamondback rattlesnake.

From Salon

For generations, serpent-handling Pentecostals have captured their own snakes—mostly timber and canebrake rattlesnakes, plus the occasional diamondback rattlesnake, cottonmouth, or copperhead that inhabit the Southeast.

From National Geographic