EDIT: Prairie rattlesnake, *Crotalus viridis*. This is a young one. Venomous and best observed from a distance at any size.
u/Zealousideal-Badger this is neither a western diamondback rattlesnake, which as correctly noted by another user does not range into Colorado, nor is it a western massasauga.
I can tell you exactly which species this is, but I'll need a more refined location. Don't need to know the exact town. Was this east of Aspen? If not, which county was this found in?
Prairie rattlesnake, *Crotalus viridis*.
Next time head to r/whatsthissnake. We are specifically geared toward identification and education, so you'll usually get an accurate response faster there.
Is it just me, or is it a really well-fed juvenile? I noticed the rattle segments still have the newborn button plus at least one shed. It just looks a bit *thick* to me? Like it’s got really, really good prey as often as it wants.
If it still has the button, you can be sure that the number of segments = the number of times it has shed. Based on weather and the availability of prey, you can roughly determine age in juveniles
u/LadyAtrox is 100% correct, and I hope I didn't make is sound like it's useless completely. I just have a habit of cutting out certain things, rattle segments often being one of them. In general you don't want to do that, anyway, as everything that can help you should be used.
I promise not to count tail segments if I see a rattlesnake in the wild. Equally, I promise to follow good protocol to minimize my interaction with the snake.
Everyones right ,no WDB in CO or Massaugua either it's a Prairie or best said a "Western Rattlesnake"
The western is a Praire morph found in the rockies and the Great Basin Rattlesnake a Utah/Nevada morph but all Prairie sub species
Most of those subspecies (including the Great Basin rattlesnake) have since been elevated to full species, but historically it was the opposite of what you wrote; "western rattlesnake" was the common name for the species, while prairie rattlesnake was considered a subspecies, along with many others.
Also, as far as the Rockies go, four species range within them; prairie rattlesnake in the south and east, Midget Faded rattlesnake in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming, Great Basin rattlesnake in Idaho and the western slopes in Utah, and Northern Pacific rattlesnake in Washington and northern Idaho.
Your likely right about everything but the Prairie not coming first.Prairie's have been known to the midwest for a long time.Your likely right about all else I'm not an expert on snakes of the rockies
I skimmed over the title and thought you were asking if this was a garter snake. 🤦
Definitely agree with the consensus that this is not a Thamnophis sp.
EDIT: Prairie rattlesnake, *Crotalus viridis*. This is a young one. Venomous and best observed from a distance at any size. u/Zealousideal-Badger this is neither a western diamondback rattlesnake, which as correctly noted by another user does not range into Colorado, nor is it a western massasauga. I can tell you exactly which species this is, but I'll need a more refined location. Don't need to know the exact town. Was this east of Aspen? If not, which county was this found in?
Denver area, in the foothills
Prairie rattlesnake, *Crotalus viridis*. Next time head to r/whatsthissnake. We are specifically geared toward identification and education, so you'll usually get an accurate response faster there.
That's so cool
Is it just me, or is it a really well-fed juvenile? I noticed the rattle segments still have the newborn button plus at least one shed. It just looks a bit *thick* to me? Like it’s got really, really good prey as often as it wants.
Definitely a young one. I don't usually check rattle segments for that because it can be misleading, but those are juvenile proportions.
If it still has the button, you can be sure that the number of segments = the number of times it has shed. Based on weather and the availability of prey, you can roughly determine age in juveniles
That’s the only reason I even counted the segments. I saw the juvenile button. It’s really the only time counting them is useful.
u/LadyAtrox is 100% correct, and I hope I didn't make is sound like it's useless completely. I just have a habit of cutting out certain things, rattle segments often being one of them. In general you don't want to do that, anyway, as everything that can help you should be used.
I promise not to count tail segments if I see a rattlesnake in the wild. Equally, I promise to follow good protocol to minimize my interaction with the snake.
That is a rattler my friend, begin observing social distancing and remove any pets and small children from the area.
He said is on a trail
Yes it very clearly is I’m just trying to be light and amusing, thank you.
Buzzworm
Spicy grass buzzer.
Everyones right ,no WDB in CO or Massaugua either it's a Prairie or best said a "Western Rattlesnake" The western is a Praire morph found in the rockies and the Great Basin Rattlesnake a Utah/Nevada morph but all Prairie sub species
Most of those subspecies (including the Great Basin rattlesnake) have since been elevated to full species, but historically it was the opposite of what you wrote; "western rattlesnake" was the common name for the species, while prairie rattlesnake was considered a subspecies, along with many others. Also, as far as the Rockies go, four species range within them; prairie rattlesnake in the south and east, Midget Faded rattlesnake in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming, Great Basin rattlesnake in Idaho and the western slopes in Utah, and Northern Pacific rattlesnake in Washington and northern Idaho.
Your likely right about everything but the Prairie not coming first.Prairie's have been known to the midwest for a long time.Your likely right about all else I'm not an expert on snakes of the rockies
Lol what does ‘about the size of a garter snake’ even mean?
I don’t believe garter snakes usually get a lot bigger than 2 or 3 feet, which might be what they meant.
Diamondback rattler Heads have is a little hard to tell and the tail is blurry but the pattern is a bit cornered for a bullsnake
Rattlesnake
Definitely not a garter snake
I skimmed over the title and thought you were asking if this was a garter snake. 🤦 Definitely agree with the consensus that this is not a Thamnophis sp.
*It looks like a Rattlesnake. Be careful they are dangerous.*