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Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake vs. Mojave Rattlesnake

Both live on the desert flats near the Colorado River and in Imperial County; their records overlap there. Both have black and white tail rings. A: Many small scales between the big scales over the eyes in the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake; two or three big scales between the big scales over the eyes in the Mojave Rattlesnake. B: Black and white rings of about equal width in the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake; white rings clearly wider than the black ones in the Mojave Rattlesnake. C: Runs down to the corner of the mouth in the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake; passes above the corner of the mouth in the Mojave Rattlesnake. D: Dusty, speckled dark diamonds with fuzzy edges in the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake; crisp dark diamonds edged clean white in the Mojave Rattlesnake. Both are very venomous: never go near either.

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Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Mojave Rattlesnake

Crotalus scutulatus

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

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