Final answer:
Swimming is an adaptation for the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake that enhances survival and hunting abilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Swimming in the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake is indeed an adaptation, just like specialized features of snakes' jaws are related to their eating habits, and the broad, webbed feet of platypuses or the thick fur of snow leopards are adaptations to their environments. Adaptations are characteristics that have evolved over time to allow an organism to better survive in its environment. The ability of the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake to swim helps it to hunt prey that may be available in aquatic settings or escape from predators. Snakes are thought to have descended from burrowing or aquatic lizards more than 100 million years ago, suggesting that over a long evolutionary history, they have retained and refined their ability to swim.