‹ Compare two snakes
Prairie Rattlesnake vs Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
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Scott Shupe, no rights reserved
Prairie Rattlesnake
Crotalus viridis
Venomous(c) Mike Lewinski, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
VenomousThe quick way to tell
Look at the tail just before the rattle. The Western Diamondback has bold black-and-white 'coon-tail' rings. The Prairie's tail rings are dull and dark, without that strong black-and-white contrast.
Tail ★ This settles it
Thinner than the body; tail rings dull, not bold black and white, ahead of the rattle.
Bold black and white rings, usually about equal width - the classic coon tail - ahead of the rattle.
Head
Broad triangular head, clearly wider than the neck, with two pale diagonal stripes on the cheek.
Triangular head with a pale cheek stripe angling down to the mouth.
Pattern
Pale-edged blotches tightening into bands near the tail; colour matches local soil.
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
Coils and rattles loudly; holds ground rather than fleeing.
Rears into an S-coil and rattles loudly; stands its ground more than most.
Where it lives
Great Plains from southern Canada through Montana, the Dakotas, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, western Oklahoma and west Texas, west into eastern Idaho, eastern Utah, New Mexico and northeastern Arizona.
Southwest and southern plains: southeastern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and edges of Kansas and Arkansas, south into central Mexico.