Pygmy rattlesnake
Small venom yield, and deaths are extremely rare, but bites are painful and need medical care.
- Lives in
- 13 states
- Size
- 15–24 in
- Open US records
- 2,515
- Group
- Snake
How to identify it
- 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
- Nine large plates on top of the head
Size: 15–24 in (total length). Habitat: Pine woods, wet prairie and lake edges of the Southeast.
Also called ground rattler, dusky pygmy rattlesnake, western pygmy rattlesnake.
Where it lives
- Lives here
- Rare records
- Gone
- Not here
When it is out
Look-alikes
- Pygmy Rattlesnake vs Hognose Snake Eastern hognose snake: harmless
State by state
| State | Status | Open records | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | Lives here | 905 | 52 |
| North Carolina | Lives here | 390 | 8 |
| Texas | Lives here | 271 | 34 |
| Louisiana | Lives here | 217 | 22 |
| South Carolina | Lives here | 155 | 7 |
| Oklahoma | Lives here | 136 | 19 |
| Georgia | Lives here | 131 | 15 |
| Missouri | Lives here | 92 | 7 |
| Alabama | Lives here | 77 | 23 |
| Mississippi | Lives here | 69 | 11 |
| Arkansas | Lives here | 60 | 6 |
| Tennessee | Lives here | 9 | 1 |
| Kentucky | Lives here | 1 | 1 |
| Kansas | Rare records | 1 | 1 |
| Virginia | Rare records | 1 | 0 |
States not listed have no open records and are outside the range.
Questions
Where does the pygmy rattlesnake live?
In 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Rare records also come from Kansas and Virginia.
Is the pygmy rattlesnake dangerous?
Medically significant. Small venom yield, and deaths are extremely rare, but bites are painful and need medical care.
How do you identify a pygmy rattlesnake?
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.
When is the pygmy rattlesnake most active?
Most open US records fall in May to September.