Rattlesnakes
Crotalus
Crotalus is a genus of venomous pit vipers found only in the Americas from southern Canada to northern Argentina, colloquially known as rattlesnakes. The name is derived from the Greek word κρόταλον krótalοn, which means "rattle" or "castanet", and refers to the rattle on the end of the tail which makes this group (genera Crotalus and Sistrurus) so distinctive. Currently, 32 species are recognized.
55 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 52 known species
Western Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus oreganus
Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus atrox
Timber Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus horridus
Prairie Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus viridis
Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus molossus
Mojave Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus scutulatus
Red Diamond Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus ruber
Sidewinder
speciesCrotalus cerastes
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus adamanteus
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus pyrrhus
Rock Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus lepidus
Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus ornatus
Neotropical Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus durissus
Dusky Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus triseriatus
Tiger Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus tigris
Mexican Pygmy Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus ravus
Arizona Black Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus cerberus
Panamint Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus stephensi
Basilisk Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus basiliscus
Queretaran Dusky Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus aquilus
Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus willardi
Yucatán Neotropical Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus tzabcan
Central American Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus simus
Twin-spotted Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus pricei
Northwestern Neotropical Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus culminatus
Speckled Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus mitchellii
Lower California Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus enyo
Mexican Lancehead Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus polystictus
Tamaulipan Rock Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus morulus
Mexican Dusky Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus armstrongi
Mexican Smallhead Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus intermedius
Totonacan Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus totonacus
Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus catalinensis
Tehuantepec Isthmus Neotropical Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus ehecatl
Campbell's Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus campbelli
Cross-banded Mountain Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus transversus
Aruba Island Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus unicolor
Veracruz Neotropical Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus mictlantecuhtli
Oaxacan Pygmy Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus brunneus
Tlaloc's Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus tlaloci
Mojave × Prairie Rattlesnake
hybridCrotalus scutulatus × viridis
Sinaloan Long-tailed Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus stejnegeri
Tancitaran Dusky Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus pusillus
Uracoan Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus vegrandis
Rock × Queretaran Dusky Rattlesnake
hybridCrotalus lepidus × aquilus
Guerreran Long-tailed Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus ericsmithi
Manantlán Long-tailed Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus lannomi
Angel de la Guarda Island Speckled Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus angelensis
Tancítaro Cross-banded Mountain Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus tancitarensis
San Esteban Island Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus estebanensis
Guerreran Pygmy Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus exiguus
Isla Piojo Speckled Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus thalassoporus
Horsehead Island Speckled Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus polisi
batwing rattlesnake
hybridCrotalus horridus × Crotalus adamanteus
San Lorenzo Island Rattlesnake
speciesCrotalus lorenzoensis
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
Garden of Health (Hortus Sanitatis)
Jacob Meydenbach · 1491 · p.589
Historiae Animalium Liber III: De Avium Natura
Conrad Gesner · 1555 · p.646
De Indiae utriusque re naturali et medica
Willem Piso · 1658 · p.470
History of the Northern Peoples
Olaus Magnus · 1555 · p.777
Noah's Ark
Athanasius Kircher · 1675 · p.136
Garden of Health
1507 · p.531
History of the Northern Peoples
Olaus Magnus · 1555 · p.776
Treasury of Medical Matters of New Spain
Francisco Hernández · 1651 · p.722
Thesaurus of Medical Things of New Spain, or History of Mexican Plants, Animals, and Minerals
Francisco Hernández; Nardo Antonio Recchi (ed.) · 1651 · p.710
History of Monsters
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1642 · p.809
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Crotalus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 30692.