Rattlesnake
n.
Any one of several species of venomous American snakes belonging to the genera Crotalus and Caudisona , or Sistrurus ; sometimes also called rattler . They have a series of horny interlocking joints at the end of the tail which make a sharp rattling sound when shaken. The common rattlesnake of the Northern United States ( Crotalus horridus ), and the diamondback rattlesnake (also called diamondback rattler , and diamondback ) of the South and East ( Crotalus adamanteus ) and West ( Crotalus atrox ), are the best known. See Illust. of Fang .
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