Southern Pacific Rattlesnake

Description:

This small rattler was cold in the late morning. It just kept an eye on me but never rattled or moved other than a slight lifting of the head. "A heavy-bodied, venomous pit viper, with a thin neck and a large triangular head. Pupils are elliptical. Scales are keeled. Ground color is brown to olive-brown. Dark brown blotches, completely outlined by light pigment, mark the back. These blotches turn to bars toward the tail, which is surrounded with dark rings. The last ring is not well-defined and is more than twice the width of the other rings. Young have a bright yellow tail. The underside is pale, sometimes weakly mottled."

Habitat:

Mixed chaparral along dirt path