Dark bars down the center of the gray back are flanked by dark spots on the sides. A rusty orange stripe usually runs down the center of the back. Pigmy rattlers live in rock or brushy areas throughout Arkansas. Lizards and mice are their main prey. The buzzing of their tiny rattles is only audible a few feet away.
Some individuals are aggressive.
This species has never been implicated in a human death, but its bite causes an ordeal that is better avoided.