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Reptilia    Squamata (part)    Crotalidae  

Western Rattlesnake
Crotalus oreganus Holbrook, 1840

Current SSAR Comments:
See comments under Crotalus, above.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.08.12.46.06)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 1.48 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus lucifer: Cooper, James G., George Suckley, William Cooper, George Gibbs, Asa Gray, and John L. Le Conte. 1859. The natural history of Washington territory, with much relating to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oregon, and California, between the thirty-sixth and forty-ninth parallels of latitude, being those parts of the final reports on the survey of the Northern Pacific railroad route, containing the climate and physical geography, with full catalogues and descriptions of the plants and animals collected from 1853 to 1857. Bailliere Bros., London, H. Bailliere;, New York, New York. pp.); Hallowell's Rattlesnake (Crotalus hallowelli: Cooper, James G. 1869. The fauna of California and its geographical distribution. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 4():61-81); Rattlesnake (Crotalus hallowelli: Cooper, James G. 1869. The fauna of California and its geographical distribution. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 4():61-81); California Rattlesnake (Crotalus lucifer: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus lucifer: Stejneger, Leonhard. 1895. The poisonous snakes of North America. Annual Report of the United States National Museum 1893(2):337-487); Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus lucifer: Van Denburgh, John. 1897. The reptiles of the Pacific Coast and Great Basin: An account of the species known to inhabit California, and Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences 5():9-236); Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus: Van Denburgh, John. 1922. The Reptiles of Western North America: An Account of the Species Known to Inhabit California and Oregon, Washinton, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, British Columbia, Sonora, and Lower California. Volume I. Lizards. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. 556pp.); Faded Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis decolor: Schmidt, Karl Peterson and D. D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. C.P. Putnam and Sons, New York. 365pp.); Great Basin Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis lutosus: Schmidt, Karl Peterson and D. D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. C.P. Putnam and Sons, New York. 365pp.); Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis oreganus: Schmidt, Karl Peterson and D. D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. C.P. Putnam and Sons, New York. 365pp.); Timber Rattler (Crotalus viridis helleri: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Sidewinder (Crotalus viridis helleri: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Black Diamond-back (Crotalus viridis helleri: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Book review: Bibliography of Animal Venoms. American Midland Naturalist 42(3):761-764); San Diegan Rattler (Crotalus viridis helleri: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Mountain Rattler (Crotalus viridis helleri: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Gray Diamond-back (Crotalus viridis helleri: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis helleri: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Pacific Rattler (Crotalus viridis helleri: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Black Rattler (Crotalus viridis helleri: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Green Timber Rattler (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Oregon Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Gray Rattler (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Northwestern Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Diamond-back Rattler (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Timber Rattler (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Book review: Bibliography of Animal Venoms. American Midland Naturalist 42(3):761-764); Black Diamond (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Green Rattler (Crotalus viridis oregonus: Klauber, Laurence M. 1949. Some new and revivied subspecies of rattlesnakes. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 11(6):61-116); Grand Canyon Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis abyssus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Midget Faded Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis decolor: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Great Basin Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis lutosus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Arizona Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis nuntius: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis oreganus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Crotalus viridis helleri (Southern Pacific Rattlesnake: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Pertinent LIterature:
1840 Holbrook, John E. North American Herpetology; or, a Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. Volume 4. J. Dobson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 126pp.

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Thursday 30 January 2025 02:41 CT