Pygmy Rattlesnake
Sistrurus miliarius
I recently had the opportunity to take photos of a very cool animal: the pygmy rattlesnake.
The pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius) is the smallest rattlesnake in the world and we have them here in the southeastern United States. Adults will generally reach their maximum length of around 16 – 24 inches (40 – 60 centimeters). We recently cruised for this species so we could escort them off the roads and take photos. This Carolina pygmy rattlesnake (S. m. miliarius) is one of three that we helped across the road.
It’s not often that I have the opportunity to use my macro lens to photograph something that isn’t a tiny plant, fungi, or insect and I find larger subjects difficult to work with – especially at night. This snake was perfectly calm as I snapped a few pictures from a distance to see how it would react to my presence. Since it remained calm, I took the opportunity to move in a little closer and take some 1:1 macros of the species. I kept my eye on it at all times and had a partner on standby with a snake hook at the ready in case the snake needed to be coaxed in a different direction. I do not encourage anyone to get this close to a venomous snake unless you are trained to do so.
Since one of the first questions that usually follows when discussing snakes is whether or not it is venomous: Yes, the pygmy rattlesnake is venomous. Their venom is composed mostly of cytotoxins. So, if bitten, this will be expected to destroy cells and cause swelling, pain, and possibly localized necrosis. It turns out that they are unable to produce much venom sine they are so small. For this reason, it is exceedingly rare that their bite would be fatal. That’s not to say that it couldn’t hurt like hell and lead to disfiguration or amputation of a digit, but so can a circular saw with lack of respect and proper precautions.
Unfortunately for the pygmy rattlesnake (and many other snakes), their habitats get disrupted by roadways and many of them are killed while crossing roads. Others are killed simply through persecution from being a rattlesnake – so we were happy to have made any positive impact in helping them across the roads. I always encourage people to learn more about the things they are afraid of because it demystifies those things. Once that initial fear is gone, you can really begin to appreciate things for what they are.
Enjoy the small gallery below. I highly encourage you to zoom way in on these photos. They have particularly beautiful eyes 😍
