Road Cruise

[stephen]

We went on a short road cruise last nite and found this rattlesnake, I was going to take pictures of it on the road but was to nippy. So we captured it took pictures and then later released it can anyone identify what kind it is?

 

[tspuckler]

Stating the location where the snake was found (nearest city) would be very helpful. If you're in the northern part of California, then it's most likely a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake.

Here's one that I found in Los Gatos last year:

 

[mynamesrick]

looks like a western diamondback to me.. looks pretty small, how big is it?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_atrox

 

[stephen]

Size

It was only about 20 inches long and didnt have those black and white bands at the tail,but it did have a good size rattle about 10.
All the diamond backs I seen have black and white bands at the end of the tail and this didnt so thats why I think it may be some other type.
Also with the size of its rattle compared to the size of the snake makes me think it was something else.

 

[mynamesrick]

oh OK i didn't see what the tail looked like so i just guessed based on the body color..

Maybe southern pacific rattlesnake? Crotalus oreganus helleri

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/c.o.helleri.html

 

[mynamesrick]

wow i don't know what i was thinking in my first post.. i tried to say just western rattlesnake but diamondback came out..

 

[tyflier]

Where did you find it?

It looks like a helleri, to me...Southern Pacific rattler. By chance, was the matrix of the tail yellow-ish(the matrix is the bottom button)? Souithern Pacific babies will have a yellow tail into their third or fourth year...sometimes even longer. The matrix often retains this yellow coloration well into adulthood. Here's a picture of a Southern Pacific tail, as an adult:

Photo credit goes to Gary Nafis of CaliforniaHerps.com

My second guess would be a Baja Rattler, Crotalus enyo, but I doubt you were far enough south without knowing it to find one...

 

[stephen]

Southern Pacific

Yes it was a Southern Pacific
It didnt really have yellow on the tail but pretty sure it was that same snake,the pattern turned to banding to the rattle.
Tonight , I plan to go out again and hopefully see something other then just rattlers!:cheers:

 

[RavenSpirit360]

Sweet Stephen!!!!!!! Congrats on the cool find.. I have never seen one of those

 

[ComoxCorn]

Cool find. Wish I had a place to go to find something like that

 

[tricksterpup]

Gosh Stephen, you got the craziest morphs in Corns. :sidestep:

 

[stephen]

LOL

Funny thing is I took the picture with the screen top off directly above it I was nervous and my hand was shaking and almost dropped the camera on top of it!:bang:

 

[tricksterpup]

Funny thing is I took the picture with the screen top off directly above it I was nervous and my hand was shaking and almost dropped the camera on top of it!:bang:

So you sending this to Gene?? :sidestep:

 

[BobbyHill]

Awesome. I'd be very curious to see what you can find locally, as I do live pretty close.

 

[ForkedTung]

can anyone identify what kind it is?

I'm pretty sure it's the venomous kind...lol.

ps) careful with that camera, they don't like being donked on the head.