There are actually three different subspecies of the Pigmy Rattlesnake. They are the Carolina Pigmy (S. miliarius miliarius), the Dusky Pigmy (S. miliarius barbouri), and the Western Pigmy (S. miliarius streckeri) (Conant-Collins, 1998). The Carolina pigmy is gray to reddish-brown, and is found from Hyde County, North Carolina southwest to central Alabama. The Dusky pigmy is dark gray and ranges from southwestern South Carolina down through Florida, and into southern Georiga, Alabama, and southeastern Mississippi. The Western pigmy is gray-brown to brown in color and can be found in western Kentucky and Tennessee, southern Missouri, and eastern Oklahoma south into Louisiana and Texas (Bartlett, 1999).
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
One benefit of having S. miliarius in your area is that they will capture and eat small rodents and other possible pests to humans.
Like most pit vipers Sistrurus miliarius prefers to sit and wait for its prey. When the prey comes in close range it will ambush it. While waiting for prey S. miliarius will remain in a coiled position; some have been observed to sit in this coiled, immobile position for two to three weeks (Florida Museum of Natural History, 1999). Sistrurus miliarius will also actively hunt for its prey and possibly use its yellowish colored tail to lure to catch its prey (Ernst, 1989). Their choice foods include mice, lizards, snakes, and frogs (Conant-Collins, 1998). They will also eat insects, spiders, centipedes, and nesting birds (Ernst, 1989).
Sistrurus miliarius can be found in the southeastern portion of North America in the following states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri (Farrell, 1999).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Sistrurus miliarius is found in a variety of habitats that include: rocky and partially wooded hillsides, pine woodlands, along riverbanks, and marshes. The one trait that all of these habitats must have in common is that they are all in close proximity to water. Sistrurus miliarius is seldom found in dry habitats. Pigmy rattlesnakes are good swimmers.
Sistrurus miliarius can often be found in underground retreats. These burrows are not dug by the snakes, but by small mammals or by gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus).
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Wetlands: marsh ; swamp
Other Habitat Features: riparian
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 16.1 years.
A tiny rattle and a skinny tail can characterize Sistrurus miliarius. The tail rarely has more than a few rattles. This combined with the fact that the rattle is so small causes the sound of the rattle to be similar to the buzzing of an insect (Conant and Collins, 1998). The average size of this relatively small snake is 12-24" (30-61cm). Sistrurus miliarius, like all members of the family Viperidae has facial pits between the nostril and the eye that detect heat energy (King, 1999). Another characteristic of S. miliarius is the nine plates that are present on the crown of its head. The background color of the Pigmy Rattlesnake can vary greatly depending on the location and subspecies. The background color can vary from shades of gray, brown, or black, to even pinkish or reddish. In all species, there is a dark line that runs vertically through the eye that looks similar to the eye of a cat. This line also extends down the side of the face. There is a series of dark, circular spots that mark the center of the back. Along the mid-body line, there is a thin reddish-orange stripe. Along each side of the body you can find dark spots similar but smaller in size than the dorsal spots.
Young Sistrurus miliarius are characterized by a sulfur yellow tip on the tail, as well as a smaller size. The rest of the colorings and markings resembles those of the adult (Farrell, 1999).
Male-male interactions include pinning of the other's head and anterior trunk to the ground. Larger males are more likely to mate with females than smaller males. Once a dominant male is established, the courtship between the dominant male and the female begins. One of these male-female interactions includes mate-guarding behavior. The pair will stay in close proximity; possibly one coiled on top of the other for several days at a time. Mating most often occurs between September and January. Copulation can take several hours to complete. Once complete the female stores sperm from her mate or mates until approximately the following April.
Once the development of embryos begins the female will commonly bask in the sun in order to speed up their development. Unlike many Crotalid species, the female will feed very late into her gestation process. Sistrurus miliarius are oviparous (live bearing) and usually give birth during the month of August. The newborns usually remain close to the mother (usually with in a couple of feet) for several days, or until they complete their first shed (Farrell, 1999).
Sistrurus miliarius, commonly called the pygmy rattlesnake, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Crotalinae (pit vipers) of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the Southeastern United States. Three subspecies are currently recognized.[4]
S. miliarius is a small species, with adults usually growing to 40–60 cm (16–24 in) in total length (including tail). The maximum reported total length is 78.8 cm (31.0 in) (Klauber, 1972). Snellings and Collins (1997) reported a specimen of S. m. barbouri measuring 80.3 cm (31.6 in), but it had been in captivity for over 12 years. The largest S. m. barbouri reported by Gloyd (1940) was a specimen measuring 63.8 cm (25.1 in) from St. Petersburg, Florida. Shine (1978) suggested that in some populations, males may be larger than females, but a later study by Bishop et al. (1996) did not find sexual dimorphism of any kind in a population in Volusia County, Florida.[5]
At midbody, the rows of dorsal scales usually number 23. The dorsal pattern consists of a series of oval or subcircular spots with somewhat regular edges. The spots on the flanks are mostly round and not much higher than they are wide. Belly pigmentation towards the rear is more limited to indistinct blotches found on pairs of adjacent scales.[3] Juveniles' color patterns are similar to the adults, although they may be paler or more vividly marked, and the tips of their tails are yellow.[5]
Common names for S. miliarius include pygmy rattlesnake, ground rattlesnake, hog-nosed rattlesnake, little rattlesnake, miliar(y) rattlesnake, North American smaller rattlesnake, oak-leaf rattler, pygmy ground rattlesnake, small rattlesnake, southeastern ground rattlesnake, southern ground rattlesnake, southern pygmy rattlesnake, spotted rattler, spotted rattlesnake,[3] southern rattlesnake.[6] Older common names might include bastard rattlesnake, nipple snake, Carolina ground rattlesnake, brick red rattlesnake, Carolina pygmy rattlesnake, Catesby's small snake, dwarf rattlesnake, eastern pygmy rattlesnake, grey rattlesnake, and ground rattler (Garman, 1887).
S. miliarius is found in the Southeastern United States from southern and eastern North Carolina, south through peninsular Florida and west to East Texas and Oklahoma. The type locality given is "Carolina". Schmidt (1953) proposed that this be restricted to "Charleston, South Carolina".[2]
Sistrurus miliarius reportedly inhabits flatwoods, sandhills, mixed forests, and floodplains, and is also found near lakes and marshes.[2] Due a need for cover pygmy rattlesnakes may prefer more densely vegetated areas.[7]
This species is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2001).[1] Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because the population is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The population trend is stable; it was assessed in 2007.[8] This species is not protected by South Carolina or Georgia state law, but pygmy rattlesnakes are protected in North Carolina and Tennessee.[9]
S. miliarius is usually seen in the summer sunning itself or crossing the road late in the day. The tiny rattle makes a buzzing sound that can only be heard from a few feet away. Some individuals are very aggressive and strike furiously, while others seem lethargic and do not even attempt to rattle.[10][11] Some research has shown that a larger portion of these rattlesnakes are usually reluctant to bite.[12] It does not dig its own burrows, but rather uses those dug by small rodents or gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus).[13][14] These snakes typically don't move far from their "home burrows" and study's have shown that males may move farther than females.[15]
The diet of S. miliarius includes small mammals and birds, lizards, insects, and frogs,[3] as well as other snakes.[10][11] Pygmy rattlesnakes also include giant desert centipedes in their diet, which they hunt by active pursuit, grabbing and flipping the centipedes around while simultaneously injecting venom to prevent injury by the victim. They also ambush lizards such as skinks by using their tails as lures, as is common in many other species of vipers.[16][17] Caudal luring becomes less effective for adults, as the prey size and type changes. Their feeding strategy becomes sit-and-wait, with individuals remaining in a coiled position for days at a time.[18]
Since S. miliarius is unable to produce much venom, it is unlikely to be able to deliver a fatal bite to a human adult.[19]
This snake produces cytotoxic venom that is strongly hemorrhagic and tissue toxic, but devoid of any neurotoxins.[20] The venom was the basis for the development of the drug eptifibatide, which is used to prevent clotting during a heart attack. The venom is somewhat different in that it contains substantial amounts of serotonin and related tryptamine compounds.[21]
Carolina pygmy rattlesnake (S. m. miliarius)
Dusky pygmy rattlesnake (S. m. barbouri), Hendry Co., Florida (3 May 2013)
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Western pygmy rattlesnake (S. m. streckeri), Wayne Co., Missouri (28 August 2015)
Sistrurus miliarius, commonly called the pygmy rattlesnake, is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Crotalinae (pit vipers) of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the Southeastern United States. Three subspecies are currently recognized.
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