About the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Drawing
I have spent considerable time studying Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus), including radiotracking animals in the field and examining how temperature and body size influence their metabolism and energy requirements. Working with them reinforced how different these snakes are from the aggressive caricature often presented by people who have never observed them closely.
Eastern Diamondbacks are the largest rattlesnakes in the world, yet much of their lives is built around patience and efficiency. They rely on camouflage and remain motionless for long periods while waiting for prey. Our research showed how little energy such a large ambush predator can require: at moderate body temperatures, a substantial snake may meet its basic annual maintenance needs with only a couple of large meals.
These snakes occupy large home ranges and are strongly associated with the fire-maintained habitats of the southeastern Coastal Plain, particularly longleaf-pine landscapes where gopher tortoise burrows and other underground refuges provide shelter. Habitat loss and fragmentation, road mortality, fire suppression, and intentional killing have contributed to substantial declines across much of their range.
In King of Diamonds, I wanted to portray power without exaggerating aggression. The close composition and dark background concentrate attention on the heavy coils, sharply keeled scales, diamond-shaped patterning, watchful eye, broad head, and prominent rattle. The snake is still and fully composed, but its size and presence are unmistakable.
King of Diamonds is a graphite pencil Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake drawing by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art. Reference photograph courtesy of W. W. Lamar.