Aruba Island rattlesnake  (Crotalus unicolor)

The Aruba Island rattlesnake is one of the rarest rattlesnakes in the world (2). Its short and stocky looking body has an overall brown colour and a lighter brown tail tip and its scaly skin has distinctive pink, blue and brown diamond shaped markings (4). Males and females are similar in appearance though males are larger in size. The tail creates the rattling noise that gives this snake its name. This species belongs to the family of vipers, and like other vipers it has a V shaped head, and venomous long hollow fangs which fold against the roof of the mouth when they are not being used (5).