The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake or Texas Diamondback (Crotalus atrox) is a venomous rattlesnake species found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. This snake's venom cocktail varies depending on the region. The ones that live in the northernmost portions of the Southwest use primarily hemotoxin to kill prey. And the southernmost variety uses primarily neurotoxin to kill prey. Some populations use a more even mixture of both. They usually go for prey smaller than a jackrabbit. This includes mice, voles, quails, lizards, shrews, kangaroo rats, and large invertebrates such as scorpions, tarantulas, and centipedes. Owls, eagles, hawks, roadrunners, kingsnakes, coyotes, bobcats and skunks are predators for whom western diamondbacks are an important source of food. Like all rattlesnakes, western diamondbacks are viviparous, giving birth to an average of one dozen live young per litter. The neonates stay with their mother until after they shed their skin for the first time, and afterward are fully independent.
The western diamondback is threatened by habitat loss, overhunting, poaching and the poisoning of its burrows for sport. Attempts to target the snake for eradication also result in non-target animals such as box turtles getting poisoned, or gasoline leeching into the local water supply, as gasoline is the preferred poison to use on rattlesnakes. This is particularly true in areas of western Texas.