SIDEWINDER (Crotalus cerastes) TRACKS ©HeyPugshund The common
name sidewinder is an allusion to its unusual form of
locomotion, which is thought to give it traction on windblown
desert sand, but this peculiar locomotor specialization is used
on any substrate that the sidewinder can move over rapidly. As
its body progresses over loose sand, it forms a letter-J shaped
impression, with the tip of the hook pointing in the direction
of travel. Sidewinding is also the primary mode of locomotion in
other desert sand dwellers, and many other snakes can assume
this form of locomotion when on slick substrates (e.g., mud
flats). The species is nocturnal during hot months and diurnal
during the cooler months of its activity period, which is
roughly from March to November (probably longer in the southern
part of its range). A small venomous pit viper species, with
adult specimens measuring between 43 cm and 76 cm (17 to 30 in)
in length. Most adults are 50–80 cm (19.8 to 32 in) in length.
The females are larger than the m