‹ Compare two snakes
Black-tailed Rattlesnake vs Rock Rattlesnake
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(c) Zihao Wang, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Black-tailed Rattlesnake
Crotalus molossus
VenomousEtienne Falquet, no rights reserved
Rock Rattlesnake
Crotalus lepidus
VenomousThe quick way to tell
Look at the tail just before the rattle. The Rock Rattlesnake's tail is salmon or peach (yellow in young ones). The Black-tailed Rattlesnake's tail is solid black.
Tail ★ This settles it
Solid black or dark gray ahead of the rattle, with few or no bands.
Young have a bright yellow tail; adults' tails are salmon or peach before the rattle.
Head
Broad triangular head; the front of the snout is usually black or dark brown, often with a dark band between the eyes.
Broad triangular head on a slender neck.
Pattern
Dark diamond- or patch-shaped blotches with pale insides, becoming crossbands near the tail.
Narrow, jagged dark crossbands, widely spaced on a pale gray, greenish, tan or pinkish body.
Eyes
Vertical slit pupil; heat-sensing pit between eye and nostril.
Vertical slit pupil; heat-sensing pit between eye and nostril.
Pits
A deep heat-sensing pit on each side of the face, between the eye and the nostril.
A deep heat-sensing pit on each side of the face, between the eye and the nostril.
What it does
Often calm and slow to rattle, though some rattle quickly; climbs well.
Stays hidden among rocks and crevices.
Where it lives
Western and southern Arizona east through New Mexico to west and central Texas, south into Mexico.
Mountains of southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico and West Texas, south through much of northern and central Mexico.