Habitat

The Southeastern Pygmy Rattlesnake can be found in many southern states such as: North

Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,

Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee,

Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and

Missouri.

The Pygmy Rattlesnake tends to live in many

different habitats such as: partially wooded

hillsides, rocky hillsides, pine woodlands, along riverbanks or streams, and in marsh or swamp

areas. Many times the Sistrurus miliarius can be found in underground burrows, which were

previously dug and used by other small animals. A characteristic that all of these habitats have in

common is that they all are very close to the water. This is because Southeastern Pygmy

Rattlesnakes are very good swimmers and do not care for barren habitats such as the desert

unlike many other rattlesnakes.

In their primary habitat the Sistrurus miliarius prefer to

be well hidden among leaves using different techniques

to blend their skin into a particular surrounding. They

use this technique because of the way it hunts and the

predacious skills it possesses. The Southeastern Pygmy

Rattlesnake sits very still coiled up and waits for its prey

to walk by unsuspecting. When they least expect it, the Sistrurus miliarius strikes and uses its

venom to kill its prey. In its younger years the Sistrurus miliarius tends to use its small tail as a

luring mechanism for unsuspecting animals.