Crotalus stephensi
Silhouette: Bill Bouton (source photo) & T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Crotalus stephensi, also known as the Panamint Rattlesnake, is a venomous pitviper species found in central and southern Nevada and adjacent California. Other common names include Owens Valley rattlesnake and tiger rattlesnake (not to be confused with C. tigris).
The specific name, stephensi, is in honor of Frank Stephens (1849–1937), curator emeritus of the San Diego Society of Natural History. Adults of C. stephensi are 58 to 132 cm (23 to 52 in) in total length (including tail), with an average of 60 to 91 cm (24 to 36 in).
According to Klauber (1936), this species is characterized by the absence of the vertical light line on the posterior edge of the prenasal and first supralabial scales. The supraocular scales are pitted, sutured, or with the outer edges broken.
The color pattern consists of a straw, tan, buff, brown, or gray ground color, overlaid with a series of buff, gray, brown, or deep red-brown blotches. Often, gray suffusions occur on the sides of the body and head, and a scattering of black-tipped scales occur on the back, especially at the edges of the blotches.
Crotalus stephensi is found in desert-mountain areas... Wikipedia →
Recording0:11
United States · 2026
Robbie Hannawacker · iNaturalist · CC0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Dickerson Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Panamint Rattlesnake sighting in Death Valley National Park on a given day, based on 98 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 30 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Panamint Rattlesnake in Death Valley National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Panamint Rattlesnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Death Valley National Park, in our data
Death Valley National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Panamint Rattlesnake sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Panamint Rattlesnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Death Valley National Park (98 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
