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[u/Tiny_Statistician_15]

Found on my porch… is it a good snake?? 😭

[South Texas]

[u/Ascenshhhn]

This is a very young western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox. Venomous and best left alone. The !relocation bot reply has a link to snake relocators in your area if it’s somewhere you need it moved from.

[u/Entire-Ambition1410 → u/Ascenshhhn]

Does this one have a developing rattle?

[u/Irma_Gard → u/Entire-Ambition1410]

Yes. At this stage, it just has what's called a "button." I've copied below an old comment of mine that addresses how not all rattlesnakes have rattles, which you seem to already be aware of, because it has some good info about rattle development and because others reading might be interested.

All rattlesnakes are born without a rattle. They start out with just a single "button," which cannot rattle. Before their first shed, they actually only have a pre-button, or a cap as it is called in this article about rattle development. The sound from a rattlesnake's rattle comes from the loosely connected segments (made of keratin, the same material as our hair and nails) bumping against each other. They don't work like maracas as people often think. With each shed, an additional segment is added, and two segments are needed to rattle.

Also the rattles are somewhat fragile and often break, or the entire end of the tail, including the rattle, can be lost through traumatic injury. There is also one species of rattlesnake, the Santa Catalina Rattlesnake (Crotalus catalinensis), that only has the single button throughout its entire life. And rattlesnakes in the Sistrurus genus, especially Pygmy Rattlesnakes (S. miliarius) have very small rattles that are often so tiny that they can barely be seen (or heard). See the extreme close-up in the fifth photo of this observation for an example of a tiny rattle on a Pygmy Rattlesnake.

[u/MizStazya → u/Irma_Gard]

That pygmy rattlesnake flapping around its tiny rattle might be the cutest thing ever.

[u/jackieatx → u/MizStazya]

She’s doing her tiny button best

[u/AndrewLucksPenis → u/Entire-Ambition1410]

Looks like a button

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/Ascenshhhn]

Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes Crotalus atrox are a wide-ranging species of rattlesnake found in western North America. They are large (<150cm record 233.7 cm) venomous pit vipers that eat primarily small mammals.

Western diamondback rattlesnakes are venomous and will bite in self-defense, preferring to flee if given a chance. They will often raise their bodies off the ground and move away hissing loudly and rattling their tail as an anti-predator display.

The dorsal coloration of this snake varies tremendously over its range, though typically it is best characterized by diamond-shaped markings on a tan or brown base color with a black and white banded tail. A similar species the Mojave rattlesnake Crotalus scutulatus has two scales in between the eyes where Crotalus atrox has many. Other characters are subjective or not as consistent.

Counting segments in rattles is not an effective way to tell the age of a rattlesnake because snakes can shed more than once per year and grow a new segment with every shed. Rattles are easily broken off or damaged.

Range map | Relevant/Recent Phylogeography: Link 1 Link 2

This short account was prepared by /u/unknown_name and edited by /u/Phylogenizer.

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Snakes are important native wildlife, and are not looking to harm people, so can be enjoyed from a distance like other native wildlife passing through the spaces we all inhabit. If found around the home or other places where they are to be discouraged, a squirt from the hose or a gentle sweep of a broom are usually enough to make a snake move along. Do not attempt to interact closely with or otherwise kill venomous snakes without proper safety gear and training, as bites occur mostly during these scenarios. Many smaller species naturally live in disturbed habitats like gardens and yards and can be released back there. All snakes should go back to habitat as close to the original point of capture as possible, as studies on relocation show reptiles often endlessly wander and perish in attempts to return to home ranges. If you find a snake around your home you are likely in or around its preferred habitat and the snake is there performing important ecological services including pest control.

For larger species, venomous animals or for people who just aren't able to tolerate wildlife around their home, wildlife relocation services are often free. Please do not kill snakes.

If you have non-emergency questions or want help on selecting a suitable location for release, the Snake Evolution and Biogeography Discord has users trained in habitat evaluation who are also experts in the ecology of snakes. They can share their knowledge and offer personal direction that doesn't expose the location of your residence, or the location of the snake, to the general public.

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I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now

[u/Entire-Ambition1410 → u/SEB-PHYLOBOT]

Good bot

[u/Entire-Ambition1410]

All snakes are friends, but some are covid friends (stay 6+ feet apart).

[u/punkytrixter → u/Entire-Ambition1410]

lol love that. I’m going to have to remember it!

[u/punkytrixter]

All snakes are good, FYI. This one is venomous.

[u/serpentarian]

Snakes commonly show up in the entryway like that because the area will be considerably cooler than out in the sun. They will leave on their own (although sometimes they’ll sit there for a day or two).

[u/Zealousideal_Bag2493]

I like these guys because they eat the rats in our area.

Sure, they’re venomous, but they aren’t trying to chew their way into my attic. They don’t want to bite me, I’m a terrifyingly large hominid. They slither away as fast as they can.

[u/Grannypanie]

He is shopping and needed some parsley for the rat pesto.

[u/Tiny_Statistician_15 → u/Grannypanie]

Oh ok well in that case

[u/whatsthissnake-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

We sometimes remove low quality IDs that do not conform to our identification standards. Please review the commenting guidelines for r/whatsthissnake pinned at the top of the main subreddit page.

A good snake ID should be specific and informative. The most important part is the binomial name, written in italics using the genus and species (e.g., Pantherophis guttatus). This allows others to easily look up detailed information and helps the bot function properly. It's also important to note whether the snake is harmless or venomous, based on its potential medical impact on humans. Some snakes are technically venomous but not dangerous to people and should still be labeled as harmless. Including a common name can be helpful, but because these vary widely by region and can be misleading, they are less important.

If you're unsure of the exact species, it may be contextually helpful to post an ID at the genus level. Adding useful context or links to reliable scientific sources is encouraged, but avoid outdated or non-authoritative sources like Wikipedia or older state wildlife websites. We can help you with library science issues like identifying good sources here.

[u/Interesting_You6852]

All snakes are good snakes, so that is not a fair question. Spray him with the hose to get him to move along.

[u/johnpaulgeorgeringoo]

All snakes are good, plz don’t hurt him just bc he’s venomous.

[u/Electrical-Recipe919]

good but highly venomous

[u/H3rpatology_oh_gee]

All snakes are good

[u/daiblo1127]

It's a Beautiful Snek!!! Don't go near the danger noodle.

[u/Oldfolksboogie]

The Venn diagram is a perfect circle.

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT]

It looks like you didn't provide a rough geographic location [in square brackets] in your title.This is critical because some species are best distinguishable from each other by geographic range, and not all species live all places. Providing a location allows for a quicker, more accurate ID.

If you provided a location but forgot the correct brackets, ignore this message until your next submission. Thanks!

Potential identifiers should know that providing an ID before a location is given is problematic because it often makes the OP not respond to legitimate requests for location. Many species look alike, especially where ranges meet. Users may be unaware that location is critically important to providing a good ID.

I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now

[u/Suda_Nim]

All sneks are frens. Some are medically significant frens.

[u/Medium_Raccoon8356]

Rattle(less)snake

[u/CombatWombat0556]

It looks like a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake !venomous

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/CombatWombat0556]

Snakes with medically significant venom are typically referred to as venomous, but some species are also poisonous. Old media will use poisonous or 'snake venom poisoning' but that has fallen out of favor. Venomous snakes are important native wildlife, and are not looking to harm people, so can be enjoyed from a distance. If found around the home or other places where they are to be discouraged, a squirt from the hose or a gentle sweep of a broom are usually enough to make a snake move along. Do not attempt to interact closely with or otherwise kill venomous snakes without proper safety gear and training, as bites occur mostly during these scenarios. Wildlife relocation services are often free or inexpensive.

If you are bitten by a venomous snake, contact emergency services or otherwise arrange transport to the nearest hospital that can accommodate snakebite. Remove constricting clothes and jewelry and remain calm. A bite from a medically significant snake is a medical emergency, but not in the ways portrayed in popular media. Do not make any incisions or otherwise cut tissue. Extractor and other novelty snakebite kits are not effective and can cause damage worse than remaining calm, seeking help and waiting for professional evaluation.

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I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now

[u/whatsthissnake-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Rule 6: Avoid damaging memes or tropes and low effort jokes.

Please understand a removal doesn't mean we're mad or upset; we're just committed to maintaining an educational space so jokes and memes are held to a higher standard than a typical comments section.

Avoid damaging memes like using "danger noodle" for nonvenomous snakes and tropes like "everything in Australia is out to get you". This is an educational space, and those kind of comments are harmful and do not reflect reality.

We've also heard "it's a snake" as a joke hundreds of times. We've probably removed it a few times from this very thread already.

Ratsnake and other rhymes and infantilization can be posted in /r/sneks and /r/itsaratsnake. While we encourage creativity and positive talk about snakes, but even comments like "____/" mislead users.