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How Do I Identify a Juvenile Diamondback Rattlesnake?

Diamondback rattlesnakes, so named because of the distinctive diamond pattern along their bodies, are found throughout the southern half of the United States. The western diamondback is native to the Southwest, and the eastern diamondback is found in the Southeast. Both are extremely poisonous. Like other pit viper snakes, diamondbacks carry a pit organ which detects differences in outside temperature. This organ is located between the nostrils of the snake and helps it find its prey. Juvenile rattlesnakes look much like the adult versions; they are just generally smaller in size.

Instructions

- 1
  Check out your calendar. If it's fall, the likelihood of juvenile snakes is higher because this is when
  
  diamondback rattlesnakes give birth.
- 2
  Listen for a sound like a loud baby rattle. You may or may not hear a rattle. Sometimes the diamondback will warn with a rattle and sometimes it won't. If you don't hear a rattle, look for one on the end of the snake's tail. Juvenile rattlesnakes have smaller rattlers than adults. The rattle grows each year of the diamondback's life, unless it's broken off.
- 3
  
  An eastern diamondback rattlesnake has distinctive markings that are more yellow.
  
  Look along the back of the rattlesnake for a distinctive diamond pattern, which is more distinct in younger snakes. The diamond pattern is a darker color than the rest of the body of the snake. The colors of the snake may range from gray to brown. Eastern diamondback rattlers have linear markings that are more of a yellow color.
- 4
  Check out the snake's head. A diamondback snake has a head shaped like a triangle or the end of an arrow. Also look at the lines around the snake's eyes. Diamondbacks have light-colored lines outlining their eyes which run from the top of their eyes to their back jaws. The lines look like a mask. Eastern diamondbacks have lighter yellow shades coming directly from the nostrils.
- 5
  Look at the end of the tail, right above the rattler. Western diamondbacks have a distinctive black-and-white-striped pattern above the rattle. Eastern diamondbacks have stripes of yellow around this area of the tail.
- 6
  Take note of the size of the rattlesnake. Juvenile snakes are just under 1 foot long.

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