 Range in California: Green
Red: Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake
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Venomous and Potentially Dangerous!
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Adult, White/Inyo Mountains,
Inyo County |
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Adult, Argus Range,
southern Inyo County |
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Juvenile, White/Inyo Mountains, Inyo County |
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Adult, southern Sierras, southern Inyo County © Carl Brune
Some knowledgable herpers have looked at this photo and identified this snake as a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, C. o. oreganus. More information about the controversy of identifying rattlesnakes from this region can be found here.
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Rattle |
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Habitat, White/Inyo Mountains,
Inyo County |
Habitat, White/Inyo Mountains,
Inyo County |
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California State Park warning sign.
Click the picture to see more
rattlesnake signs.
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Rattlesnakes are important members of the natural community. They will not attack, but if disturbed or cornered, they will defend themselves. Reasonable watchfulness should be sufficient to avoid snakebite. Give them distance and respect.
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Description |
| Venomous |
| The venom of this snake is potentially dangerous to humans. |
| Size |
| Adults are 23-52 inches in length (58-132 cm) averaging 2 - 3 feet. Young 10 inches. |
| Appearance |
A heavy-bodied, venomous pit viper, with a thin neck and a large triangular head. Pupils are elliptical. Scales are keeled.
Shows a great variety of body coloration which usually allows the snake to blend into its environment - tan, yellowish, orangish, gray, off-white, brown. The body is marked with a pattern consisting of dark speckled banded markings, which can be vague or distinct. A dark band or bands on the tail, but not usually alternating with light bands. The tail has a rattle on the end, consisting of loose interlocking segments. A new rattle segment is added each time the skin is shed. Newly-hatched snakes do not have a rattle - just a single button which does not make a sound.
Heat sensing pits on the sides of the head help the snake to locate prey by their warmth. Long, hollow, movable fangs connected to venom glands inject a very toxic venom which quickly immobilize prey. The snake can control the amount of venom injected and the fangs are replaced if broken. Bites on humans are potentially dangerous without immediate medical treatment. Even a dead snake can bite and inject venom if the jaws reflexively open when they are touched. |
| Behavior |
Primarily nocturnal and crepuscular during periods of excessive daytime heat, but also active during daylight when the temperature is more moderate. Not active during cooler periods in Winter.
An ambush hunter, it may wait near lizard or rodent trails, striking at and releasing passing prey. The snake then follows the trail of the envenomated animal and swallows it whole. Prey is also found while the snake is actively moving.
When alarmed, a rattlesnake shakes its tail back and forth. The movement rubs the rattle segments together producing a buzzing sound which serves as a warning. Juveniles are born with only a silent button at the end of the tail. |
| Diet |
| Eats small mammals, lizards, and birds. |
| Reproduction |
| Live-bearing; young born July and August. |
| Range |
Found in central eastern California, from aproximately the Mojave River north along the east side of the Sierras into Nevada.
Sea level to 8,000 ft. (2,440 m). |
| Habitat |
| Associated mostly with habitats composed of rocky outcrops and boulders, but also found in creosote bush and cactus deserts and open coniferous woodlands. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
MICHAEL E. DOUGLAS, MARLIS R. DOUGLAS, GORDON W. SCHUETT, LOUIS W. PORRAS, AND
BLAKE L. THOMASON (Genealogical Concordance between Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNAs Supports Species Recognition of the Panamint Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii stephensi) Copeia, 2007(4), pp. 920–932) using molecular data, showed that this snake is a distinct species, not a subspecies of Crotalus mitchellii. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| None |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Viperidae |
Vipers |
| Genus |
Crotalus |
Rattlesnakes |
Species
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stephensi |
Panamint Rattlesnake |
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Original Description |
Crotalus mitchellii - (Cope, 1861) - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 13, p. 293
Crotalus mitchellii stephensi - Klauber, 1930 - Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. 6, No. 3, p. 108
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Crotalus - Greek - krotalon - a rattle - refers to the rattle on the tail
mitchellii - honors Mitchell, S. Weir
stephensi - honors Stephens, Frank
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Formerly Crotalus mitchellii stephensi - Panamint Rattlesnake
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Related or Similar California Snakes |
C. m. pyrrhus - Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake
C. s. scutulatus - Northern Mohave Rattlesnake
C. c. cerastes - Mojave Desert Sidewinder
C. o. lutosus - Great Basin Rattlesnake
C. o. oreganus - Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
Living With Rattlesnakes
Tucson Herpetological Society: Living With Venomous Reptiles pdf
California Department of Fish and Game: Rattlesnakes in California
Rattlesnake Bites
California Poison Control System:
Rattlesnake Bites
University of Arizona:
Rattlesnakes
Justin Schwartz' Rattlesnake Bite Story and Pictures
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Bartlett, R.D. , & Alan Tennant. Snakes of North America - Western Region. Gulf Publishing Co., 2000.
Ernst, Carl H., Evelyn M. Ernst, & Robert M. Corker. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003.
Wright, Albert Hazen & Anna Allen Wright. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press.
Brown, Philip R. A Field Guide to Snakes of California. Gulf Publishing Co., 1997.Ernst, Carl. H. Venomous Reptiles of North America. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1999.
Klauber, Laurence M. Rattlesnakes. University of California Press. (Abridged from the 1956 two volume Rattlesnakes:
Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind.) University of California Press, 1982.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
This animal is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
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| USDA Forest Service |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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Range in California: Green 
