Description:
The
Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius barbouri) and the Carolina
Pigmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius miliarius) are small heavy bodied snakes.
Both subspecies are usually grey or a grayish brown with dark blotches, and a gold or orange
stripe that runs down the back of the snake. Some are very light in coloration while some that are found in Florida are very dark. In several counties in northern South Carolina
and southern North Carolina the Carolina
Pigmy Rattlesnakes are sometimes very bright red. The juveniles of both subspecies look identical to the adults, except for
they have a sulfur yellow tail. The average length for a Carolina
Pigmy is between 14-20 inches. The longest recorded was just over 2ft. The average length for a Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake is
20 inches and the longest record is at 31 inches.
Habitat:
The
Carolina Pigmy Rattlesnake lives in boggy wetlands, coastal
pinewoods, scrub oak inhabitant of sandy substrates. Farther inland they can be found in the both pine and open, mixed woodlands,
near water sources and in driers areas. The Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake is mostly found in the Longleaf Pine/Saw Pine habitat
that is common in Florida, southern Georgia,
and southern Alabama. The
can also be found in bottomland hardwood forest, wet saw-grass, dry hammocks,
and the prairies.
Prey:
Both
subspecies feed upon small animals which include frogs, mice, lizards, snakes, and insects like centipedes.
Abundance
and Behavior:
The
Carolina Pigmy Rattlesnake is not a very common snake species.
They can be found in all of South Carolina, Northwest Georgia,
and in North Carolina. The Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake on the
other hand is the most common venomous snakes in Florida.
They can be found in every county in Florida, southern Georgia
and southern Alabama. Both
subspecies will rattle if threaten but it is very hard to here them since they have such tiny rattles. They will hibernate
except for in Southern Florida where it is warm all year around. They diurnal (comes out
during the day) during the cooler months while during the
summer they are nocturnal. They can be found crossing the roads at dusk and at night. They will sometimes be found several
feet up off the ground in bushes or in palmettos.
