Every time a snake sheds its skin a new segment is added. Snakes shed from one to three times a year. Rattlesnakes do not always rattle in warning and a rattle does not always precede a strike. Rattlesnakes do not hatch from eggs, they are born alive from mid-summer to fall. The ability to vibrate the tail is instinctual, but the rattle cannot be heard until juveniles shed at least three times.
Juvenile rattlesnakes can deliver a fully potent bite.
Primarily inhabiting valleys and bajadas, a series of backward J or S shapes left in loose sand indicates one has passed by. It will partially or nearly completely bury itself in loose sand or gravel when at rest. Its coloration is variable, but primarily browns and grays. Facial stripes can be faint to pronounced. With exception to localized overlap with the other rattlesnakes of southern Nevada, the Great Basin Rattlesnake is the only one inhabiting the northern two thirds of the state.