Pygmy Rattlesnake

Pygmy rattlesnakes are small snakes that can grow up to twenty-one inches long. Because their rattle is so small, it cannot be heard further than a few feet away. They are found in North America and Mexico, in sandhills and pinewoods. The coloration of the pygmy rattlesnake ranges from gray to reddish. They have a dark series of blotches along the middle of their backs along with a reddish stripe. They are ambush predators, which means that they sit and wait for their prey, sometimes staying in the same spot for up to three weeks. They also release their prey after a venomous strike, and scent-track them after they have died. The prey of a pygmy rattlesnake includes small rodents, snakes, lizards, amphibians, and insects. Their warm-blooded prey will die quickly after being bitten, but the cold-blooded animals may remain relatively mobile for up to twenty minutes, sometimes wandering completely out of the scent-track range of the snake, before finally dying.

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