The Rattlesnakes of Texas You Need to Know About

(Longview, Texas) - Texas is home to a lot of things. Whataburger, Buc-ee's, brutally hot summers, Alamo. Texas is also home to lots of different creatures both big and small. Armadillos, mosquitoes, deer, june bugs.

Texas is also home to several species of rattlesnakes. A couple of those species can be found in East Texas. I went to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website so I could put together a list of the various rattlesnakes that call Texas home so we can recognize them better.

Rattlesnakes Found in Texas

There is the Western Massasauge, which are light gray in color with brown oval shapes on their back and smaller shapes on their side. They are usually two feet long and found in grasslands and marshy and swampy areas.

The other type is Desert Massasauge, which are lighter than the above kind and are smaller and more slender. There are found more in the Trans-Pecas, Panhandle and Rio Grande Valley area of Texas.

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Mottled Rock Rattlesnake

These are about two feet long and slender. They have a light bream or pink background with spaced crossbands and mottled areas between the crossbands. They are found mostly in the mountains of West Texas.

Banded Rock Rattlesnake

These are similar to the Mottled Rock Rattlesnake but have dark green-gray color and are found in far West Texas

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

These guys will get between 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 feet long. They have diamond shaped markings on their back and alternating black and white rings on the tail. These are the most commonly found rattlesnake in Texas but found less in East Texas than other parts of the state.

Mojave Rattlesnake

They are very similar in look to the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake but are smaller. They are found in West Texas.

Timber Rattlesnake

These rattlesnakes are more heavyset and about 4 1/2 long. They are either brown or tan with dark crossbands and their tail is black. They are found in wooded areas in wetlands.

Black Tail Rattlesnake

They have a black tail like the Timber Rattlesnake and are either gray or olive green with dark spots on their back. The can get to about 3 1/2 feet long. They are found in Central Texas and in West Texas bushes and rocky ledges.

Prairie Rattlesnake

They are about three feet long and have a greenish or grayish color. They are slender and have round spots on their backs. They are found more in the Western part of Texas.

Many Rattlesnakes Found in Texas

How can you avoid running into these snakes or any snake for that matter?

• Keep your yard mowed.
• Don't have any brush, wood, rock or other piled up debris in your yard.
• Never put your hands in a pile of debris where you can't see them.
• Watch out when stepping over a falling tree or in areas where rocks are jutting out.
• Keep a lookout around creek banks.

What should you do if you are bitten?

• Identify the snake that bit you, if possible.
• Keep calm to prevent the spread of the venom.
• Wash the bitten area with a disinfectant if available.
• Remove any jewelry or tight fitting clothes as swelling is possible.
• Restrict movement of the bitten area to decrease the spread of the venom.
• And most important of all, get the bit victim to a hospital.

Check out tpwd.texas.gov for even more information about other snakes found in Texas.

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