Maximum length is over 8 feet, but the average is 4 feet. Fangs are ¾ of an inch. Its diamond shaped coloration pattern, dark brown or black, identifies it. The “diamonds” are strongly outlined by a row of cream-colored or yellowish scales. The side of the head is patterned with two white oblique stripes. The ground color of the body is brownish. The tail ends in a rattle. The tail is usually a different shade, brownish or gray, and toward the end of the tail the diamonds fade or break into bands. The pupil is vertical (cat-like), and there is a deep facial pit between the nostril and the eye. The young are similar to the adults in color pattern. The tip of the tail of newborn diamondbacks ends in a ‘button,’ which is the first segment of the future rattle.