California Lyresnake vs. Western Rattlesnake

Their records overlap across coastal southern California; the lyresnake's head shape and pupils fool many people. A: Flat, rounded at the back, no pit; a dark lyre mark on top in the California Lyresnake; broad and triangular, much wider than the thin neck; a pit between the eye and nostril in the Western Rattlesnake. B: Thin and pointed, no rattle in the California Lyresnake; a rattle, with dark rings before it in the Western Rattlesnake. C: Big plates with a dark lyre mark in the California Lyresnake; many small scales in the Western Rattlesnake. D: Smooth and glossy in the California Lyresnake; keeled and dull in the Western Rattlesnake.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

• California Lyresnake vs. Coast Night Snake
• California Lyresnake vs. Desert Nightsnake
• California Lyresnake vs. Western Glossy Snake
• California Lyresnake vs. Western Leaf-nosed Snake
• California Lyresnake vs. Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake
• California Lyresnake vs. Red Diamond Rattlesnake
• California Lyresnake vs. Panamint Rattlesnake
• Western Rattlesnake vs. Prairie Rattlesnake
• Desert Nightsnake vs. Western Rattlesnake
• Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake vs. Western Rattlesnake
• Red Diamond Rattlesnake vs. Western Rattlesnake
• Sidewinder vs. Western Rattlesnake
• Coast Night Snake vs. Western Rattlesnake
• Mojave Rattlesnake vs. Western Rattlesnake
• Western Rattlesnake vs. Western Glossy Snake
• Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake vs. Western Rattlesnake
• Panamint Rattlesnake vs. Western Rattlesnake
• Western Rattlesnake vs. Sonoran Lyre Snake
• Western Rattlesnake vs. Arizona Black Rattlesnake
• Western Rattlesnake vs. Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake

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