Learn the answers to some commonly asked questions about Nevada's snakes.
Nevada's Venomous Reptiles

Nevada is home to five snake species that can be dangerous to people and pets. They are the Sidewinder, Mohave, Speckled, Western Diamondback and Great Basin Rattlesnakes. With the exception of juveniles, most rattlesnakes encountered in Nevada are 1 1/2 to 4 feet long.

Conflict Prevention

The best way to avoid trouble with venomous snakes is to be aware of your surroundings and observe some safety rules.

• Avoid disturbing, removing or killing snakes. Most bites result from deliberate harassment of reptiles.
  
  
• Learn how to identify venomous reptiles.
  
  
• Use Caution when hiking.
  
  
• Determine safety from a distance before placing hands or feet atop or among rocks, or crevices , entering abandoned dwellings, caves or mines.
  
  

• Imposter Alert!

  The Great Basin Gopher Snake is locally called the Bull Snake. This non-venomous snake is an impostor. It has the ability to mimic a rattlesnake by flattening its head to a triangular shape and inflating its body to appear larger. It can even imitate the sound of a rattle by vibrating its tail in dry grass, leaves, or loose gravel.

  Lift rocks, wood or other potential cover sites so they are between you and the possible rattlesnake underneath.
  
  
• Check under your car on hot days in case a reptile is seeking shade.
  
  
• Check where you are going to step before getting in or out of your boat.
  
  
• Choose open campsites and always carry a flashlight when walking at night.
  
  
• Supervise your children's activities and teach them not to play with any snakes they find. Have them report any snakes they see to an adult.
  
  
• Keep pets on a leash.

General Characteristics

Rattlesnakes are pit vipers. They have facial or loreal pit, heat-sensitive depressions, on either side of the head between the nostril and eye. These pits can detect differences in temperatures less than 0.5'F in nearby objects and help rattlesnakes to detect prey even in complete darkness.

Compared to most non-venomous snakes, rattlesnakes have broad, triangular shaped heads that accommodate the venom glands and muscles controlling them. Venom is a complex toxic compound used both to subdue prey and protect against predators. Their jaws are loosely jointed an can unhinge to nearly 180 degree, allowing them to swallow their prey whole. (Human jaws open to only 40 degrees).

Flexible jaws also allow the use of the venom dispensing fangs, which are folded against the roof of the mouth when not in use. The hypodermic needle fangs swing down as the snake lunges forward to strike. Fangs are not permanent, but are periodically replaced. The ability to dispense venom means life or death for the rattlesnake.

The triangular head gives way to a narrow neck, thick body, and a tail tipped with a series of inter-locking segments making up the rattle. Every time a snake sheds its skin, a new segment is added. Snakes shed from one to three times a year. Rattlesnake do not always rattle in warning, and a rattle does not always precede a strike.

Rattlesnakes do not hatch from eggs. They are born alive from mid-summer to fall. The ability to vibrate the tail is instinctual, but the rattle cannot be heard until juveniles shed at least three times. Juvenile rattlesnakes can deliver a fully potent bite.

Rattlesnakes in Nevada

Sidewinder Named for its side-winding locomotion, it is Nevada's smallest rattlesnake, reaching up to 31 inches in length. Primarily inhabiting valleys and bajadas, a series of backward J or S shapes left in loose sand indicates one has passed by. It will partially or nearly completely bury itself in loose sand or gravel when at rest. It is sometimes referred to as the "horned rattler" because of the modified scales above its eyes.
Mohave Also called the Mohave Green, this snake mainly inhabits valleys and bajadas. Notice the light to medium green body with yellow bordering darker diamond on the back. A pronounced dark striped edged with yellow to yellow-green runs along both sides of the head angling down through the eyes to behind the corner of the mouth. The tail has contrasting narrow black and broad white bands. The venom is very potent.
Speckled Inhabiting rocky slopes and hills, this rattlesnake is typified by its salt and pepper appearance. It has the most variable body color and pattern of Nevada's rattlesnakes. Two sub-species occur in Nevada: the Southwestern speckled and the Panmint. There are no obvious facial stripes, and the Panamint has a more well defined body pattern, the salt-and-pepper appearance being faint or lacking altogether.
Western Diamondback This is the largest of Nevada's rattlesnakes. It typically has a body length of 3-4 feet, and is able to deliver a large volume of venom. It is found only in the Lake Mohave, Searchlight and Laughlin areas of southern Nevada. Its distinctive markings include the diamond body pattern edged with white and black on brownish background; facial stripes, and equally broad alternating black and white banding on the tail.
Western Rattlesnake A habitat generalist and widely distributed over the western U.S., it is represented in Nevada by the sub-species know as the Great Basin Rattlesnake. Its coloration is variable, but primarily browns and grays. Facial stripes can be faint to pronounced. With exception to localized overlap with the other rattlesnakes of southern Nevada, the Great Basin Rattlesnake is the only one inhabiting the northern two-thirds of the state.