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Prairie rattlesnake

Crotalus viridis · Snakes · Reptiles

Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis): 45-165 cm; light brown to black with a yellow head stripe (per Animal Diversity Web). Horny rattle on the tail tip. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the prairie rattlesnake map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Crotalus viridis
Family
Viperidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan south to northern Mexico, west to Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and extreme eastern Arizona, east to the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Biology

How to identify it

45-165 cm; light brown to black with a yellow head stripe (per Animal Diversity Web). [1][2]

Horny rattle on the tail tip. [1][2]

Cryptic belly pattern in tan, yellow and gray. [1][2]

Compared with the western rattlesnake: Formerly grouped with C. viridis; ranges from southern British Columbia to Baja California and east to the Rockies. [1][2]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Confirm a prairie rattlesnake before you act. Compared with the western rattlesnake: Formerly grouped with C. viridis; ranges from southern British Columbia to Baja California and east to the Rockies.[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Prairies, arid basins and wooded mountains; uses mammal burrows, crevices and caves when inactive. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Mostly diurnal in cool weather, active in the evening and at night in hot weather [1][2]

Active about late March/April to October/November [1][2]

Migrates up to about 11 km between winter den and summer range and shows den fidelity [1][2]

Eats mainly small mammals; juveniles in some regions mostly lizards [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan south to northern Mexico, west to Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and extreme eastern Arizona, east to the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology