![\"Green](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/midget-faded-rattlesnake-2-Andrew-DuBois-via-Alamy-7.9.25.jpg\")
Green River is one of the only places in Wyoming to find midget faded rattlesnakes, which seem to invade the town about this time each year. It\u2019s smaller and rarer than Wyoming\u2019s other species with potent venom. But you can\u2019t kill them; they\u2019re protected. (Andrew DuBois via Alamy)Smaller But Deadlier<\/strong><\/p>\nThere are several snake species native to Wyoming, including two species of rattlesnake. Most Wyomingites encounter prairie rattlesnakes, which are widespread throughout the Western United States.<\/p>\n
The rattlesnakes spotted near Green River are midget faded rattlesnakes, a smaller and rarer species only found in the Flaming Gorge region of Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.<\/p>\n
While a full-grown prairie rattlesnake can grow up to four feet long, the midget faded rattlesnake reaches a maximum length of 2.5 feet. They primarily feed on lizards, small mammals, and birds.<\/p>\n
Green River and Rock Springs are at the northernmost extent of the midget faded rattlesnake\u2019s habitat. Dickson said this particular species is known to travel extensive distances during the summer, when the snakes are the most active.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re unique to a very small habitat that includes Sweetwater County, but they move around looking for water during the summer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Dickson said midget faded rattlesnakes are the only species of rattlesnake in Green River. When a Green River resident sees a rattlesnake, it\u2019s a midget faded rattlesnake.<\/p>\n
All rattlesnakes are venomous, but the midget faded rattlesnake is especially dangerous. A 1977 study determined that its venom was one of the most potent, and anywhere from five to 30 times more lethal, than that of other rattlesnakes.<\/p>\n
Dickson couldn\u2019t confirm or deny that study but suggested the smaller snake is actually less dangerous than other venomous snakes. In fact, the midget faded rattlesnake tends to be less ornery than its close relatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re usually less irritable and less likely to bite,\u201d she said, \u201cThey\u2019re more docile, but they\u2019re definitely venomous.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Who You Gonna Call?<\/strong><\/p>\n Midget faded rattlesnakes are busy in July and August. In addition to the increasing heat and scarcity of water, it\u2019s also their breeding season, so they\u2019ll be slithering in and around Green River to answer nature\u2019s calls.<\/p>\n Dickson said the best thing to do after encountering a midget faded rattlesnake is to leave it be. The worst thing anyone could do is try to move it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you provoke, try to catch, or move a rattlesnake, it\u2019s a bad idea,\u201d she said. \u201cIf it\u2019s minding its own business in a place where it\u2019s not causing problems, and you can safely move away, just let it be.\u201d<\/p>\n Killing midget faded rattlesnakes isn\u2019t an option.<\/p>\n According to the University of Wyoming\u2019s Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, the snake is a \u201cSpecies of Concern\u201d in Wyoming, which means it has \u201ca combination of biological factors that predispose them to decline or potential extirpation from the state.\u201d<\/p>\n The snake is also categorized as a \u201csensitive\u201d species by the Wyoming Bureau of Land Management.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, rattlesnakes are destined to show up where people don\u2019t want them. In that case, Green River residents can call the Wyoming Game and Fish Department or Green River Animal Control to safely relocate the rattlesnakes.<\/p>\n Dickson, a self-proclaimed \u201creptile enthusiast,\u201d hopes educating people about these unique rattlesnakes will ensure their short and long-term survival in Green River. Many people get spooked by snakes, but they’re a natural part of Wyoming\u2019s varied ecosystems.<\/p>\n \u201cRattlesnake calls always pick up at this time of year,\u201d she said. \u201cThe things that are going to make rattlesnakes move are habitat disturbance, and the search for food and water, so don\u2019t be surprised to see more snakes at this time of year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n