What environmental limitation, related to ectothermy, shapes the exclusion of certain high-elevation areas?
Prolonged freezing temperatures or excessively high, dry elevations where overheating is a threat
As an ectothermic species, the activity level and survival capacity of *Crotalus atrox* are intrinsically linked to ambient environmental temperatures. This reliance on external heat sources strictly defines their viable range. Areas that experience prolonged periods of freezing temperatures are inhospitable because they prevent the snake from maintaining the necessary body temperature for activity. Conversely, excessively high, dry elevations can also exclude them due to the constant threat of overheating, which forces thermal regulation mechanisms to work overtime. These thermal tolerances shape the distribution far more rigidly than arbitrary political boundaries.
