Kinds of Rattlesnakes
The pygmy (or ground) rattlesnake of the southeastern United States rarely exceeds 18 inches (46 cm) in length. It is reddish-gray with dark blotches on the back. The related massasauga grows to a length of 40 inches (1 m), and is found from Arizona northeast to New York. It is dark brown to black, with blotches on the back.
The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is found along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Louisiana. It is the largest rattlesnake, reaching a length of eight feet (2.4 m). It is dark with diamond-shaped markings on its back. The western diamondback rattlesnake, found from California east to Arkansas, reaches a length of seven feet (2.1 m). It is gray, brown, pink, or yellow with diamond-shaped blotches, and has black and white rings on its tail. The red diamond rattlesnake of California is red or pink with diamond-shaped blotches. It is about 5 ½ feet (1.7 m) long.
The western rattlesnake is green, tan, or brown, and also reachesa length of 5 ½ feet (1.7 m). It is found from California east to western Iowa. The timber (or canebrake) rattlesnake, found from Maine to Florida and west to Texas, is yellow to brown with dark blotches. It is up to seven feet (2.1 m) long. The sidewinder, found in the southwestern United States, is named for the sideways motion it makes when moving over loose sand. It is about 2 ½ feet (75 cm) long.
Rattlesnakes belong to the subfamily Crotalinae of the pit viper family, Viperidae. The pygmy rattlesnake and massasauga belong to the genus Sistrurus. The pygmy rattlesnake is S. miliarius; the massasauga, S. catenatus. All other rattlesnakes belong to the genus Crotalus. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is C. adamanteus; western diamondback rattlesnake, C. atrox; red diamond rattlesnake, C. ruber; western rattlesnake, C. viridis; timber rattlesnake, C. horridus; sidewinder, C. cerastes.
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