Pigmy Rattlesnake

Western Pigmy Rattlesnake Range Statewide; lacking records for most of the Mississippi Delta.

Description: Pigmy rattlesnakes are aptly named because they are the smallest species of rattlesnake in the United States. This snake is usually dull gray with a row of dark spots running down the center of its back and along its sides.

Pigmy Rattlesnakes may utilize "favorite spots" over and over. These may be preferred hunting or basking spots. Prey and Hunting Techniques Pigmy Rattlesnakes eat a wide variety of food items, including small rodents, lizards, and frogs.

Pigmy Rattlesnake Photograph by Glen Smart, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. License: Public Domain. REPTILE FACTS ...

Pigmy rattlesnakes are generally uncommon in South Carolina and Georgia. The species may occur in association with wet areas in wooded habitats or swamps and is often encountered in scrub oak/longleaf pine forest habitats or other wooded sites.

Pigmy Rattlesnake Sistrurus miliarius ssp. Uncommon to rare. Statewide in distribution, but rarely encountered in recent years except in extreme southern Alabama. Believed to be declining. Inhabits a variety of upland habitats.

Local snakes belonging to the family Viperidae include the copperhead, cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, and the pigmy rattlesnake.

Sistrurus catenatus (Massasauga) Sistrurus miliarius (Pigmy Rattlesnake) Data for distribution maps found on successive pages obtained from: Dixon, James. 1987. Amphibians and Reptiles of Texas. College Station: Texas A&M University Press.

See also: Rattlesnake, Snake, Reptile, Timber Rattlesnake, Lizard