Are there rattlesnakes in Alaska?
Short answer
No
None of the 17 US rattlesnake species has open records from Alaska.
Where the records come from
- None recorded
- 1 species
- 2
- 3 to 4
- 5 or more
Rattlesnakes across the US
- Lives here
- Rare records
- Gone
- Not here
How to recognize them
Timber rattlesnake Crotalus horridus
- Dark V- or chevron-shaped bands across the back
- Black tail ending in a rattle
- Yellow, tan or dark phases; some are almost black
Dangerous. Usually calm and slow to strike, but a bite is a medical emergency.
Pygmy rattlesnake Sistrurus miliarius
- Small with a thin tail and a tiny rattle that sounds like a buzzing insect
- Gray or tan with dark round blotches
- Often a reddish stripe down the spine
Medically significant. Small venom yield, and deaths are extremely rare, but bites are painful and need medical care.
Often mistaken for rattlesnakes
- Rattlesnake vs Gopher Snake Gopher snake: harmless
- Eastern Diamondback vs Timber Rattlesnake Timber rattlesnake: dangerous
- Timber Rattlesnake vs Copperhead Copperhead: medically significant
- Western Diamondback vs Mojave Rattlesnake Mojave rattlesnake: dangerous
- Pygmy Rattlesnake vs Hognose Snake Eastern hognose snake: harmless
Questions
Are there rattlesnakes in Alaska?
No. Only 1 isolated record, far from the range.
What do rattlesnakes look like?
Dark diamonds with pale yellow edges down the back. Two pale diagonal stripes on each side of the face. Thick body and a rattle on the tail.