Desert sidewinder rattlesnakes (Crotalus cerastes)

Desert sidewinder rattlesnakes (Crotalus cerastes) occupy habitats of loose soil and windblown sands. They are a sit-and-wait predator that curl up in the sand and look like a Danich pastry until a rodent or lizard runs by, when they envenomate them with lightning speed. The name, sidewinder, stems from their mode of locomotion in which they throw their head to the side while using belly scales to propel themselves forward, and sideways, simultaneously. This species is among 24 different reptiles and amphibians for which habitat models are being constructed by various research groups for a comparison of methods and to consider how these species will do under projected climate scenarios.