Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay, I first posted this on the general venomous forum, but after some questions as to the actual species, I'll post it here for you experts. I still think it's a western diamondback.

>I've been lurking here a while, and thought I'd jump in.

>Hello, I've been doing animal rescue in a volunteer capacity for a long time. I am always the one who is out pulling rattlers out of people's houses around here, and have a lot of experience working with them in this regard. It saves people a lot of money over calling a pest control company, and I really enjoy it. Not everyone gets to see these beautiful and mis-understood creatures. Now I have kept tons of snakes in the past, just not any venomous ones. But last week I pulled a baby Western Diamondback out from under some ladies couch, and never having seen one this small, I decided to keep it for a month or so. Around here, most of the Western Diamondbacks I remove are at least 3-4ft in length in not larger. Whereas, this one's body is just over a foot, maybe 15". I have the utmost respect for these guys, as they are responsible for the majority of the snake bites in this area. So when I took this photograph, I took it through the glass of the aquarium. He seems really moody, and if he doesn't calm down, I'm gonna release him sooner.

HH,
Carraig

That's not a Western Diamondback. You live on the coast of Central California, Diamondbacks do not exist there, any Rattlesnake you would encounter in your area is either a Southern or Northern Pacific, depending on how far north you live on the coast.

Good Morning,
Thanks for the heads up. But that still doesn't explain the black and white stripes on the tail that mimic a western diamondbacks. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Carraig

There are several species of Rattlesnake besides the Diamondback that have black and white tails like that. Mojave Rattlesnakes, Sidewinders, Speckled Rattlesnakes, Red Diamond Rattlesnakes, Panamint Rattlesnakes, Northern and Southern Pacifics, all can have tails like that. It's very common among Rattlesnakes in the Western U.S.

talkinghead is right, lots of rattlesnakes have those rings. Once you have seen a diamondback, you will realize the difference. Those rings dont look like diamondback rings. The diamondback has broad rings that are high in contrast. Those rings on your southern pacific are faint (as in not high contrast) and thinner than the diamondback. Diamondbacks also have a dusky appearance, and the diamonds are not usually well defined being broken up by this duskiness. I dont think they are that dark in color either, at least from what Ive seen.

Yea looks like a pacific to me as well. Where in cali are you located? I live in so. cal. and we have diamonds here as well. We just have to go a little south east like Chino Hills, or San Bernadino.
I remove rattlesnakes from the surrounding san fernando valley area. All I have ever encountered myself are southern pacifics. You mention the white rings around the tail. Dont let this fool you. Out of all the southern pacifics that I have removed, most dont look the same and have different patterns.
What ever the case, that is a nice snake you have. Be safe and use caution. The pacific rattlesnake has a big and nasty bite.

Definitely not a Western DB...I'm not sure of exactly what it is, but it's not a western. I included a pic of a western below for comparison. Note the tail rings...on yours, the tail rings gradually run into the normal pattern, where on the western they end abruptly at the normal pattern.