Western Pygmy Rattlesnake

http://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/sismil.htm

• Description: small -- 14–22 in (38-56 cm)
• Tiny rattle that can seldom be heard.
• Three subspecies two occur in Georgia (Sistrurus miliarius miliarius – the Carolina pigmy rattler and Sistrurus miliarius barbouri – the dusky pigmy rattler).
• Mid-dorsal spots and a bar than runs from the eye to the base of the mouth color of this bar can vary from black to brownish red
• Orange or reddish brown dorsal stripe
• Young snakes, the tip of the tail is sulfur yellow and is used for caudal luring
• Carolina pigmy rattler can be gray, tan, or lavender. Some orange or red
• Pattern of this subspecies is usually clean and well defined, with one or two rows of lateral spots dusky pigmy ranges from bluish gray to nearly black..
• Range and Habitat: The Carolina pigmy rattler is found in the northeastern, northwestern, and central portion of Georgia and throughout South Carolina.
• Dusky pigmy rattlers inhabits the southern Coastal Plain area. Although fairly common in the Coastal Plain of both states, populations in the Piedmont are few and scattered.
• creeks, marshes, and swamps but can be found in a variety of habitats including pine and scrub oak sandhills, scrub pinewoods, mixed forests of pine and hardwoods, longleaf pine-wiregrass forests, swamps, and even xeric uplands.
• Carolina pigmies are generally restricted to drier habitats and are most common in sandhills and xeric pine forests.
• Use gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows as well as those of small mammals.

Habits: Well-hidden among leaf litter prey including lizards, frogs, small mammals, and insects as well as centipedes.

Conservation Status: Protected in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Pertinent References:

May, P. G., T. M. Farrell, S. T. Heulett, M. A. Pilgrim, L. A. Bishop, D. J. Spence, A. M. Rabatsky, M. G. Campbell, A. D. Aycrigg, and W. E. Richardson. 1996. The seasonal abundance and activity of a rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius barbouri) in central Florida. Copeia 1996:389-401.

Roth, E. D., P. G. May, and T. M. Farrell. 1999. Pigmy rattlesnakes use frog-derived chemical cues to select foraging sites. Copeia 1999:772-774. http://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/sismil.htm

Account Author: Austin Meadows, University of Georgia – revised by J.D. Willson