7 Types of Rattlesnakes in California

7 types of rattlesnakes have a verified observation record in California. The most frequently recorded are Western Rattlesnake, Red Diamond Rattlesnake and Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

Quick Answer

7 types of rattlesnakes have a verified observation record in California. The most frequently recorded are Western Rattlesnake, Red Diamond Rattlesnake and Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake. Here is the full list, ranked by how often each is reported on iNaturalist.

More Pages

More rattlesnake pages for California

Jump back to the main page for this route cluster.

Real sighting data, source iNaturalist

40,403 verified observations on iNaturalist of rattlesnake have been recorded in California, most often in May, April, June.

When rattlesnake are recorded in California

Verified species, source iNaturalist

7 types of rattlesnakes recorded in California

7 rattlesnake species have a verified observation record in California, each with at least 10 confirmed sightings. The full list, ranked by how often each is recorded, is below.

  • No openly licensed photo yet
    1

    Western Rattlesnake

    Crotalus oreganus

    28,175 recordsNative
  • No openly licensed photo yet
    2

    Red Diamond Rattlesnake

    Crotalus ruber

    4,690 recordsNative
  • No openly licensed photo yet
    3

    Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake

    Crotalus pyrrhus

    3,059 recordsNative
  • No openly licensed photo yet
    4

    Sidewinder

    Crotalus cerastes

    2,617 recordsNative
  • No openly licensed photo yet
    5

    Mojave Rattlesnake

    Crotalus scutulatus

    1,085 recordsNative
  • No openly licensed photo yet
    6

    Panamint Rattlesnake

    Crotalus stephensi

    491 recordsNative
  • No openly licensed photo yet
    7

    Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake

    Crotalus atrox

    220 recordsNative

Counts from verified iNaturalist observations.

The Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) is the most commonly recorded, with 28,175 verified observations, about 70% of all rattlesnakes reported in California. If you spot a rattlesnake here, it is statistically most likely to be this one.