Pygmy rattlesnakes may feast on frogs.
The pygmy rattlesnake, Sistrurus miliarius, is a small, thick-bodied rattlesnake, commonly called the pygmy rattlesnake or ground rattlesnake. With the adult snake averaging 13 to 30 inches (35.5 to 76 cm) in length, this viper has a small rattle that is rarely heard and, if heard, is usually described as an insect’s buzz. The venomous snake is endemic to the southern United States, where it is colloquially called the “bell worm.”
Although venomous, the bite of a pygmy rattlesnake is not generally considered fatal.
Unlike larger rattlesnakes, the pygmy rattlesnake has nine large scales on the top of its triangular head. The snake’s coloration can be red, gray, brown, lavender, or orange, and includes a row of dark dorsal spots with an orange to red dorsal stripe. The underside of the snake is white with abundant dark spots. The juvenile Pygmy Rattlesnake has a yellow tail that it uses to attract prey and darkens as the snake matures. The snake rattlesnake generally has six to eight segments, with more than half of snakes having only three segments.
The Pygmy Rattlesnake is solitary by nature and is often found hiding in leaf litter. The snakes are sometimes arboreal and have been observed in trees up to 10 feet (3 m) tall. From these locations, the snakes ambush lizards, frogs, snakes, small mammals, and insects. The pygmy rattlesnake injects venom into its prey and then releases it. The snake then tracks the prey by scent after it dies.
The female pygmy rattlesnake gives birth to three to 11 live young from late summer to early fall. Courtship and mating take place between late summer and mid-winter. The males engage in combat rituals, and the victorious male wins the right to mate with the female. Copulation can last for several hours, and the mated pair will often remain together for several days, with one snake coiled on top of the other. The female snake stores the male’s sperm until mid-spring, when he fertilizes her eggs.
The three subspecies of pygmy rattlesnake are the Carolina pygmy, Sistrurus miliarius streckeri; the dark pygmy, Sistrurus miliarius barbouri; and the western pygmy, Sistrurus miliarius streckeri. The pygmy rattlesnake is found in a variety of environments, including forest, riparian, coastal, and swampy habitats. The pygmy is poisonous, but there are no known cases where a snake bite has been fatal to a human. The pygmy rattlesnake is protected in some places, including North Carolina and Tennessee.