 This
is the most common venomous snake in the state, and is responsible for
more human snakebite than any other snake. It is found throughout
the state.
Also known as the ground rattler, the snake is grey
in color with black blotches all over its body, including the underside.
There is a series of nearly circular black markings on the middle of
the back, with a dotted brick-red to orange line running right down
the center of the back, between each black blotch.
These snakes only attain a length of 2½ feet,
but average around a foot in length. Their small size &
moderately mild venom keeps them from being a serious threat to human
life, but the bite is still extremely painful. One man I know was
bitten severely enough by a large pygmy that he was hospitalized, and
very nearly died. Despite their diminutive size, I have yet to
meet one that didn't act like it was 12 feet long and ready to take
on anything. If you give the snake half of an opportunity to bite
you, it will happen. Don't count on hearing the rattle,
as it is very slender and does not produce much noise.
To illustrate how common these snakes are in
some areas, I was attempting to get a job done during storm Gordon,
which dumped a lot of water on this part of the state a few years back.
We were attempting to work on a stretch of levee around the water catchment
area. The dry side of the levee, which consists of pine and palmetto,
had knee deep water on it. In a two day period, I caught over
60 pygmy rattlesnakes on a two mile stretch of levee. They are
active both day and night.
Their diet includes lizards, amphibians,
and rodents. In most areas, they prey upon the first two
items, which being lower in protein than rodents, is probably the reason
most do not exceed 18 inches in length. In a captive situation,
or where in residence in an agricultural area where rodents are readily
available, they will grow bigger.
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