Speckled Rattlesnake

(Crotalus mitchelli)

"Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake"

Color Photographs: Chris Brown, U.S. Geological Survey

Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchelli)

Identification: Length 22 to 50 inches. Rattles present. Overall color and pattern extremely variable. Color may be brown, red-brown, black, gray, yellowish with all shades and degrees inbetween. General appearance rough and speckled. Supraocular scales (the large scales over the eyes) either creased, pitted, or the outer margins are rough. The prenasal scales (see figure) are usually separated from the rostral scale by a row of small scales (Note: If you can see these scale characters, you are way to close to the snake).

Geographical Variation:

Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (C. m. pyrrhus): Small scales present between the rostral and prenasal scales. Range: Western Arizona, southern Nevada, and extreme southeastern Utah extending southward into Baja California.

Panamint Speckled Rattlesnake (C. m. stephensi): Small scales not present between the rostral and prenasal scales. Markings more definite than those of the Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake. Range: Southwestern Nevada and southwestern California; the northern populations of this species.

Range (see map on left): The Speckled Rattlesnake occurs in southeastern California to southern Nevada and Utah, southward throughoutout most of Baja California.

Habitat:  The Speckled Rattlesnake is mostly found in shrubby desert, desert dominated by cacti, chaparral, or pine-pinyon forest. It is usually found in rocky landscapes, but also occurs on loose soil or sand.

Food: Small mammals, birds, and lizards.

Behavior:  This species is active, skittish snake and rarely gives ground to intruders.

Reproduction:  The Speckled Rattlesnake is a live bearer. Each female produces 2 to 11 young during the year during the late summer.

Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchelli)

Despite the great variability of color and pattern in this species, there is a overall speckled and rough appearance that is usually distinctive.

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