What Is a Pygmy Rattlesnake?
The pygmy rattlesnake, Sistrurus miliarius, is a thick-bodied, small rattlesnake commonly called a pygmy rattler or ground rattler. With the adult snake averaging 13 to 30 inches (35.5 to 76 cm) in length, this pitviper has a small rattle that is rarely heard and, if it is heard, it often is described as sounding like the buzzing of an insect. The venomous snake is endemic to the southern United States, where it is colloquially referred to as a “buzzworm.” Unlike larger rattlesnakes, the pygmy rattlesnake has nine large scales on the top of its triangular head. The snake’s coloring can be red, gray, tan, lavender or orange, and it includes a row of dark dorsal spots with an orange to red dorsal stripe. The underside of the snake is white with copious dark spots. The juvenile pygmy rattlesnake has a yellow tail that it uses to lure prey and that darkens as the snake matures. The snake’s rattle string often is six to eight segments, and in more than half of snakes, it is just three segme
