Kenneth Krysko photo.

Scientific name: Sistrurus miliarius barbouri

Description: Average adult size is 12-24 inches (30-61 cm), record is 31 inches (79 cm). This is a small snake, but very thick for its size. The top of the triangular shaped head is covered with 9 large scales. The body color is light to dark gray. A longitudinal row of black or charcoal, transverse blotches disrupts a reddish brown stripe running down the middle of the back. Dark spots on the side line up with the blotches. The tail is slender and ends in a miniature rattle (see photo above). The belly is heavily mottled with black and white. The pupil of the eye is vertical (catlike), and there is a deep facial pit between the nostril and the eye.

Juvenile coloration is like that of the adults, but the tip of the tail is yellowish-green.

Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake: Left to right: Top of the head (notice the large plate-like scales on the top of the head, which the diamondback and timber rattlersnakes do not have); underside of the head (chin and throat).

Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake: Left to right: Side of the head (notice the facial pit between the eye and the nostril); front (face view) of the head.

Range: The Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake is found throughout the state of Florida. The species extends north to eastern North Carolina and west to eastern Texas and southern Missouri.

Habitat: This snake is common in lowland pine flatwoods, prairies, around lakes and ponds, and along the borders of many freshwater marshes and cypress swamps. Possibly the habitat in which Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnakes are most frequently encountered, at least in south Florida, is the banks of canals running through marshes and prairies.

Comments: . This small snake has a reputation for being very aggressive. Its bite, while usually not life threatening, is extremely painful and can result in the loss of a digit. Some cases can be fatal. It feeds primarily on frogs and mice.

The rattle is so small it is seldom heard. When it is heard, it sounds like an insect buzzing.

The harmless hognose snakes defend themselves against potential predators by spreading (flattening) their heads and necks. If this does not scare the threat away, the hognose snakes will turn onto their backs and play dead.

Comparison with other species: Florida’s two hognose snakes occasionally are confused with the Pygmy Rattlesnake. However, it is easy to distinguish between the harmless hognose snakes and the Pygmy Rattlesnake. The hognose snakes have upturned noses and round pupils, and they also have no facial pits or rattles.

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