Instructions
Identify a Rattlesnake
Look at the snake. How big is it? If it's coiled you'll have to estimate. Typical adult rattlesnakes are between 3 and 4 feet long, with thick, heavy bodies.
Look at the head. Rattlesnakes have broad, triangular heads.
Look at the mouth. Rattlesnakes have a hinged mouth that allows them to open their jaws 180 degrees. They possess two elongated and hinged fangs in the front part of the jaw.
Look at the face of the snake. Heat-sensing facial pits are located on each side of the head between the eye and the nostril. These openings lead to sensory organs and are used to detect and track prey and make the snake look as if it has two sets of nostrils.
Look at the scales of the snake. Scales on the rattlesnake are not smooth. Each scale has a raised ridge in the center. On the underbelly of the snake, the scales form a single row.
Look at the eyes. What is the shape of the pupil? Rattlesnakes have elliptical eye pupils or "cat's eyes."
Look at the tail. The characteristic rattle on the tail gives a buzzing sound and is generally used to warn potential prey of the snake's presence, but a rattle is not always present. They are frequently lost during molting or as the result of breakage.
How to Identify a Rattle Snake
There are more than 30 species of rattlesnakes worldwide. They come in colors that range from gray and black to brown to pink. A rattlesnake's skin may display a diamond pattern, a banded or ring-shaped pattern, a blotched pattern or no pattern at all. But they are all positively identified by a number of other characteristics.