Crotalus lannomi: The search for the “lost” rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes have fascinated researchers and layman alike for centuries. Amongst the rattlesnakes, one species stands out. The Autlán longtailed rattlesnake (Crotalus lannomi) was described from a snake found dead in the road in 1961, and since then no additional specimens of this mysterious snake were found.
For more than 5 years we searched for this elusive snake in the mountains of western Mexico, which had been lost to science for longer than the Ivory-billed woodpecker had. Finally, on a hot afternoon in 2008, we managed to rediscover this long-lost critter. The images below show some pictures of the habitat of Crotalus lannomi, as well as some of other species that share it.
The rediscovery of this species resulted in multiple publications (see the “publications” page), as well as a Young Explorers National Geographic Grant, however, due to a huge mining development in the area, the project to study the ecology of this species could not be done… yet.
