Family: Viperidae, Pit Vipers view all from this family
Description 24-51" (61-129.5 cm). Uniformly white scales surround brown diamonds marking midline of back. Greenish-gray, olive-green, greenish-brown, or occasionally yellow above. Black and white rings encircle tail; white rings significantly larger. Light stripe behind eye extends backward above angle of mouth. Scales keeled, in 25 rows.
Warning The venom of the Mojave Rattlesnake is extremely toxic and more likely to cause respiratory distress than the bite of any other North American rattler. Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, and Cottonmouths belong to a group of snakes known as pit vipers. These dangerous snakes have a heat-sensitive sensory organ on each side of the head that enables them to locate warm-blooded prey and strike accurately, even in the dark. The curved, hollow fangs are normally folded back along the jaw. When a pit viper strikes, the fangs rapidly swing forward and fill with venom as the mouth opens. The venom is a complex mixture of proteins that acts primarily on a victim's blood tissue. If you hear a rattlesnake shaking its rattle, back away. The snake is issuing a warning, and if the warning is ignored it may bite. There are many factors (temperature being the most important) that determine how a snake will react when confronted by a human. Venomous snakes should always be observed from a safe distance. Pit vipers are never safe to handle. Even dead ones can retain some neurological reflexes, and "road kills" have been known to bite. How to avoid and treat snakebites
Subspecies Two; 1 in our range: Mojave Green Rattlesnake (C. s. scutulatus).
Breeding Female gives birth to 2-11 young, about 9-11" (23-28 cm) long, July to August.
Habitat Upland desert flatland supporting mesquite, creosote bush, and cacti; also arid lowland with sparse vegetation, grassy plains, Joshua tree forests, and rocky hills; sea level to 8,300' (2,500 m).
Range S. Nevada, adjacent California and extreme sw. Utah southeastward through c. Mexico.
Discussion Usually encountered on mild nights, crossing a road, or before the heat of the day, partially exposed under the bank of a dry wash or along a mesquite-bordered streambed.
