Rattlesnakes may be found at many Nez Perce National Historical Park sites from early spring to late summer.

Seven species of reptiles were confirmed during a 2002 park inventory, representing most of the expected species of the area. The racer (Coluber constrictor) was the most widely distributed reptile that was found across all the park sites that were sampled. The western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) is also abundant. The western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) can commonly be found among the rocks and in trees found along the Snake River.

The ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus) is a critically imperiled species of concern for the state of Idaho, and the Bureau of Land Management lists it as a sensitive species. Two juvenile snakes were found at the same location at White Bird Battlefield (Idaho) during the summer of 2002. Dug Bar (Washington) had the highest overall abundance of reptiles throughout the 2002 study.

NPS Photo

At the bottom right corner of this photo, the rock formation resembles the rattlesnake from a Nez Perce legend.

“…Rattlesnake and cottontail—they got in an argument about something there. And the cottontail got the best of the argument, so the rattlesnake started to chase the cottontail down the river. Just about after he started chasing him, the rattlesnake hollered down to the other rattlesnake down below the meadow—just about opposite the Hataway Crick. You can see the expression there that the rattlesnake’s laying down for the cottontail down there…”

--Alex Pinkham, Nez Perce Tales (at Spalding, ID in August, 1965)

This story describes a rock formation on the hillside between Lewiston, Idaho and the Spalding Site, along the Clearwater River.