According to Conant's Reptiles & Amphibians of Eastern/Central U.S., "33-72 inches; record 96 inches [Bebler and King give the range as 36 to 96 inches]. An ominously impressive snake to meet in the field. The diamonds, dark brown or black in color, are strongly outlined by a row of cream-colored or yellowish scales. Ground color olive, brown, or almost black. Pattern and colors vivid in freshly shed specimens; dull and quite dark in those preparing to shed. Only rattler within its range with two prominent light lines on face and vertical light lines on snout.
At home in the palmetto flatwoods and dry pinelands of the South. Occasionally ventures into salt water, swimming to outlying Keys off the Florida coast. Some snakes will permit close approach without making a sound, whereas others, completely concealed in palmettos or other vegetation, will rattle when dogs or persons are 20 or 30 feet away. Many stand their ground, but when hard pressed they back away,rattling vigorously but still facing the intruder. Frequently they take refuge in burrows of gopher tortoises, in holes beneath stumps, etc. Rabbits, rodents, and birds are eaten.
Range: Coastal lowlands from se. N. Carolina to extr. E. Louisiana; all of Florida, including the Keys."
Heavy-bodied with large head sharply distinct from neck. Back patterned with dark diamonds with light centers andprominently bordered by a row of cream to yellow scales. Prominent light diagonal lines on side of head. Vertical light lines on snout. Scales keeled, in 27-29 rows."
Give it a wide berth; the most dangerous snake in North America! Venom highly destructive to blood tissue. Stumpholes, gopher tortoise burrows, and dense patches of saw palmetto often serve as retreats. Their numbers have been substantially reduced by extensive land development and by rattlesnake hunters. Eats rabbits, squirrels, birds.
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