Crotalus scutulatus

Crotalus scutulatus is known commonly as the Mohave Rattlesnake. Other common English names include Mojave Rattlesnake and, referring specifically to the nominate (northern) subspecies: Northern Mohave Rattlesnake and Mojave Green Rattlesnake, the latter name undoubtedly acquiescing to the widely used colloquial name “Mojave green”. Campbell and Lamar (2004) supported the English name “Mohave (Mojave) rattlesnake” with some reluctance because so little of the snake’s range lies within the Mojave Desert.

The spelling of the English name with an “h” has been advocated by multiple authors in recent years for various reasons. The most recent iteration of standard English names for North American reptiles, endorsed by the major herpetological societies in the United States and Canada, concludes that spelling with either a “j” or an “h” is correct, based on “whether the word is used in a Spanish or English context.” Thus, their standard English names list adopted the “h” spelling.

Crotalus scutulatus is a venomous pitviper (family Viperidae, subfamily Crotalinae) found in the deserts of the southwestern United States and deep into mainland Mexico. It is perhaps best known for producing two distinctly different venom types in different populations.

Two subspecies are currently recognized. This account describes the widely distributed nominate subspecies, the Northern Mohave Rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus. The other subspecies, C. scutulatus salvini, occurs in a relatively small area deep in mainland Mexico.