The Colorado Desert Sidewinder looks as if it has horns over its eyes and is sometimes called the horned rattlesnake. These horns are actually upturned scales, and are not truly horns. The body is typically a sandy tan, gray, or cream color and is patterned with dark blotches of brown or grey on the back and sides. There is a dark cheek-stripe on both sides of the head that starts at the eye and runs diagonally down and backwards above the mouthline. The tail often has a few to several rings. The end of the tail has a rattle on it. The bottom of the rattle is brown.
