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Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake vs. Gopher Snake

The Gopher Snake is the harmless snake most often taken for a rattlesnake: it hisses, flattens its head and shakes its tail. Their records overlap widely. A: Broad and triangular, much wider than the thin neck; a pit between the eye and nostril in the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake; narrow, hardly wider than the neck, a dark band across it in front of the eyes in the Gopher Snake. B: Vertical (cat's eye) in the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake; round in the Gopher Snake. Look for the rattle on the tail: the Gopher Snake has a plain pointed tail.

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Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Gopher Snake

Pituophis catenifer
Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake vs. Gopher Snake: comparison sheet with the differences marked

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

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