Praire Rattlesnake
Crotalus viridis viridis
The Prairie Rattler is a subspecies of the Western Rattlesnake. The Western Rattlesnake has the most widespread range of any North American rattler. The Prairie Rattlesnake grows to about five feet in length and is found in a very wide variety of habitats including open grasslands, open desert, rocky hillsides, and ponderosa pine forests. It seems to favor areas with rocky outcrops and ledges, especially if close to streams or intermittant streams. They eat rodents, birds and lizards. I have found these snakes to be very unpredictable in temperment: some are very aggresive while others from the same area may be quite mild mannered. This snake was photographed in the Zuni Mountains near Gallup, New Mexico.
