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Project Noah Nature School
Crotalus oreganus
About 20" long and 5/8" thick, this young rattlesnake is beautifully marked -- with age the markings will become much duller. Notice only one rattle on the tail. An older snake will have more rattles, but the age of the snake isn't indicated by the number of rattles.
This snake was encountered in the Owyhee Mountains of southern Idaho, sagebrush/rimrock country, although it was out in a relatively flat area, rocky with grasses and with a little stream nearby.
Don't rely on hearing a rattle. This little snake is as venomous as a big one, but it wouldn't make much noise with only a single rattle.
Spotted on Oct 22, 2005
Submitted on Jan 22, 2016
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