‹ Compare two snakes
Tiger Rattlesnake vs Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Tap a part to see it on both. Tap it again to turn it off.
Etienne Falquet, no rights reserved
Tiger Rattlesnake
Crotalus tigris
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 Tiger Rattlesnake's tail lacks those bold black rings.
Tail ★ This settles it
Banded like the body, without bold black rings; ends in a large rattle.
Bold black and white rings, usually about equal width - the classic coon tail - ahead of the rattle.
Head
Very small head for its body, still wider than the slender neck.
Triangular head with a pale cheek stripe angling down to the mouth.
Pattern
Many narrow, dark crossbands from neck to tail — bands, not blotches or diamonds.
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
Usually rattles a warning; most bites happen when people handle it.
Rears into an S-coil and rattles loudly; stands its ground more than most.
Where it lives
Central, south-central and southeastern Arizona (US only), south into Sonora, Mexico.
Southwest and southern plains: southeastern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and edges of Kansas and Arkansas, south into central Mexico.