Crotalus mitchellii
Silhouette: Bill Bouton (source photo) & T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Common names: speckled rattlesnake, Mitchell's rattlesnake, white rattlesnake Crotalus mitchellii is a venomous pit viper species in the family Viperidae. The species is native to the Southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico. The species was named in honor of Silas Weir Mitchell (1829–1914), an American medical doctor who also studied rattlesnake venoms. Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Generally, Crotalus mitchellii does not exceed 100 cm (39 in) in total length (tail included), with large males measuring between 90 and 100 cm (35 and 39 in). The race on Isla Ángel de la Guarda is known to become larger, the maximum recorded length for a specimen there being 136.7 cm (53.8 in). In contrast, the population on El Muerto Island only reaches a maximum of 63.7 cm (25.1 in) in length. On the back are about thirty sometimes vague markings often in the form of crossbars. The speckled rattlesnake is sometimes erroneously called the tiger rattlesnake because of these markings. Other times the markings are clearly defined geometric shapes – diamonds, hexagons, hourglasses – which vary in color from... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Virginia Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Cherkasy Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Speckled Rattlesnake sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Speckled Rattlesnake in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in April, June, August and October–January, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Speckled Rattlesnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, in our data
El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Speckled Rattlesnake sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Crotalus
The closest relatives of the Speckled Rattlesnake that you can see in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (genus Crotalus, Rattlesnakes) are Red Diamond Rattlesnake (about 30%) and Lower California Rattlesnake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Speckled Rattlesnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (8 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.
