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Species authority page

Western rattlesnake

Crotalus oreganus · Snakes · Reptiles

Western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus): Horny rattle on the tail tip; head much broader than the neck. Heat-sensing pit on each side of the face; vertical pupil in bright light. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the western rattlesnake map

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

Scientific name
Crotalus oreganus
Family
Viperidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southern British Columbia south to central Baja California and east to the Rocky Mountains.
Biology

How to identify it

Horny rattle on the tail tip; head much broader than the neck. [1]

Heat-sensing pit on each side of the face; vertical pupil in bright light. [1]

Colour from light tan or pink to black with large blotches on back and sides, banded tail. [1]

Light stripe from behind the eye to the mouth corner; rarely exceeds 3.3 ft. [1]

Compared with the prairie rattlesnake: Former parent species; occupies the plains east of the Rockies from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. [1]

Compared with the gopher snake: Makes a hiss that can sound like rattling but has no rattle. [1]

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 western rattlesnake before you act. Compared with the prairie rattlesnake: Former parent species; occupies the plains east of the Rockies from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.[1]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Shrubby coastal dunes to timberline, basins, canyons and open mountain forest; uses mammal burrows and crevices. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Rattle can sound for minutes; burrowing owls and gopher snakes make hissing that resembles it [1]

Diet mainly small mammals, also birds, lizards and rarely amphibians [1]

In British Columbia gravid females generally did not feed [1]

Pregnant females may congregate near winter dens [1]

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 British Columbia south to central Baja California and east to the Rocky Mountains.

Biology

Sources

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

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe