Crotalus oreganus (Western Rattlesnake)
Credit: Brad Shaffer
about the species
The western rattlesnake is a widespread species of venomous snake native to the western US and adjacent British Columbia and Baja California. In California, the species includes three subspecies that constitute an ecological and geographical replacement series: Crotalus oreganus helleri (southern Pacific rattlesnake), Crotalus oreganus lutosus (great basin rattlesnake), and Crotalus oreganus oreganus (northern Pacific rattlesnake). Taken together, the three subspecies provide a nearly complete representation of the ecological diversity in the state with the exception of the Mojave and immediately adjacent desert ecosystems, where other more specialized rattlesnakes replace it.
why species was selected
The western rattlesnake is a key, unique ecological foundational species, and is the only venomous reptile encountered over the vast majority of California and most of the American West.
