Arizona Black Rattlesnake on ‘extinction trajectory,' biologists find
Tuesday, May 3, 2016 - 21:20
in Biology & Nature
A combination of drought and fire has put the Arizona black rattlesnake on an “extinction trajectory,” according to researchers. The Arizona black rattlesnake is found at higher elevations in Arizona and western New Mexico. The researchers collected DNA from 118 specimens of the rattlesnake and analyzed its genetic structure. They found both a shrinking population and a reduction in its movement across an already limited range.