adult mice, they do not often resort to eating slimmer prey, such as lizards. In fact, eastern cottontails and marsh rabbits (Sylvilagus) form the bulk of the diet in most parts of Florida. Squirrels, rats, and mice are also eaten, along with birds such as towhees and bobwhite quail. Other prey that have been reported include a king rail, a young wild turkey, and a mother woodpecker along with four of her eggs. It also eats large insects. Reproduction Rattlesnakes, including the eastern diamondback, are ovoviviparous. Gestation lasts six or seven months and broods average about a dozen young. However, the young only stay with the mother 10–20 days before they set off on their own to hunt and find cover. Females give birth to between 7 and 21 young at a time, usually between July and early October. Neonates are in length and are similar in appearance to the adults, except for having only a small button instead of a rattle on the tip of their tails. Captivity The eastern diamondback can live beyond 20 years, but life expectancy in the wild is now typically shorter because of hunting and human expansion. Adult wild-caught specimens are often difficult to maintain in captivity, but captive-born individuals do quite well and feed readily on killed laboratory rodents. The eastern diamondback requires a dry and well-ventilated cage with a hide-box, maintained at a temperature of for normal activity. Venom The eastern diamondback rattlesnake has the reputation of being the most dangerous venomous snake in North America. While not usually aggressive, it is large and powerful. Wright and Wright mentioned a mortality rate of 30%, but other studies show a mortality rate of 10–20% (untreated). In proportion to its length, it has the longest fangs of any rattlesnake species, with calculations leading one to expect an specimen would have fangs with a total length of over . For comparison, a specimen had fangs measuring in length. It has a very high venom yield, an average of 400–450 mg, with a maximum of 858–1,000 mg. Brown gives an average venom yield of 410 mg (dried venom), along with values of 1.3–2.4 mg/kg IV, 1.7–3.0 mg/kg IP and 14.5–10 mg/kg SC for toxicity. The estimated human lethal dose is 100–150 mg. The venom contains a thrombin-like enzyme, "crotalase", capable of clotting fibrinogen, leading to the secondary activation of plasminogen from endothelial cells. Although the venom