Pygmy Rattlesnake
Sistrurus miliarius • Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes, Family Viperidae, Subfamily Crotalinae, Genus Sistrurus, Species S. miliarius
Southeastern and south-central United States, ranging from North Carolina south to Florida and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma.
Look up Pygmy Rattlesnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes, Family Viperidae, Subfamily Crotalinae, Genus Sistrurus, Species S. miliarius
Conservation
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, facing localized threats from habitat destruction and road mortality.
Physical Description
Features a greyish body with dark grey or black rounded dorsal blotches and a distinct reddish-brown mid-dorsal stripe. The head is distinct from the neck with vertical pupils and keeled scales.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen is approximately 14 inches long. Adults typically range from 15 to 24 inches with a maximum recorded length of 31 inches.
Habitat
Found in flatwoods, sandhills, mixed forests, floodplains, and around the edges of swamps and marshes.
Diet & Feeding
Preys primarily on lizards, frogs, mice, and other small snakes using an ambush hunting strategy.
Reproduction
Viviparous species that gives birth to live young, typically producing litters of 3 to 14 neonates in late summer.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, facing localized threats from habitat destruction and road mortality.
Cultural Significance
Acts as an important predator of small mammals and herpetofauna, contributing to local rodent population control.
Notable Features
Features a notably diminutive rattle that produces a sound resembling buzzing insects rather than a traditional rattle.