Crotalus ruber
Silhouette: Bill Bouton (source photo) & T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Common names: red diamond rattlesnake, red rattlesnake, red diamond snake, more Crotalus ruber is a venomous pit viper species found in southwestern California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Common names include: red diamond rattlesnake, red rattlesnake, red diamond snake, red diamond-backed rattlesnake, red rattler, and western diamond rattlesnake. The form found on Cedros Island, previously described as C. exsul, was referred to as the Cedros Island diamond rattlesnake, or Cedros Island rattlesnake.
Not enough genetic and morphological diversity exists between C. exsul from Cedros Island and C. ruber from the mainland to warrant the recognition of both species. In response, Smith et al. (1998) petitioned the ICZN to validate ruber over exsul in the interest of nomenclatural stability. Wikipedia →
Recording0:08
United States · 2020
© Jeremey Freely · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:24
Mexico · 2026
© Sean Daniels · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:07
United States · 2021
© casjessi · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Los Angeles Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zoológico "Parque del niño" Jersey | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Burgers' Ocean | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 6 | Royal Burgers' Zoo | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Riverbanks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | California Living Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Reptile Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Cherkasy Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 13 | Orange County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Diamond Rattlesnake sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 39 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April, June, August and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Diamond Rattlesnake in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July, September–October and December–February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Diamond Rattlesnake sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Red Diamond Rattlesnake sightings, Joshua Tree National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 30%), Cabo Pulmo National Park (Mexico, about 20%) and Bahía de Loreto National Park (Mexico, about 10%).
Same genus: Crotalus
The closest relatives of the Red Diamond Rattlesnake that you can see in Joshua Tree National Park (genus Crotalus, Rattlesnakes) are Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (about 50%), Sidewinder (about 20%) and Western Rattlesnake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Diamond Rattlesnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Joshua Tree National Park (10 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.
