‹ Compare two snakes
Mohave Rattlesnake vs Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
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(c) Jeremiah Degenhardt, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Mohave Rattlesnake
Crotalus scutulatus
Venomous(c) Mike Lewinski, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
VenomousThe quick way to tell
Look at the tail rings. On the Mohave the white rings are wider than the black. On the Western Diamondback they're about equal.
Tail ★ This settles it
White bands usually wider than the black ones, ahead of the rattle.
Bold black and white rings, usually about equal width - the classic coon tail - ahead of the rattle.
Head
Triangle; two big scales between the eyes, cheek stripe passes behind the mouth.
Triangular head with a pale cheek stripe angling down to the mouth.
Pattern
Clean pale-edged diamonds on gray-green to brown.
Fuzzy-edged, speckled-looking diamonds on dusty gray-brown.
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
Rattles and holds ground; often found on roads at night.
Rears into an S-coil and rattles loudly; stands its ground more than most.
Where it lives
Southwest: southeastern California, southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah, Arizona, southern New Mexico and west Texas, south into central Mexico.
Southwest and southern plains: southeastern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and edges of Kansas and Arkansas, south into central Mexico.