▁mar sh es . ▁ ▁Conserv ation ▁status ▁This ▁species ▁is ▁class ified ▁as ▁least ▁concern ▁ ▁on ▁the ▁IU CN ▁Red ▁List ▁of ▁Th re aten ed ▁Species ▁( v 3 . 1 , ▁ 2 0 0 1 ). ▁Species ▁are ▁listed ▁as ▁such ▁due ▁to ▁their ▁wide ▁distribution , ▁pres umed ▁large ▁population , ▁or ▁because ▁it ▁is ▁unlikely ▁to ▁be ▁decl ining ▁fast ▁enough ▁to ▁qual ify ▁for ▁listing ▁in ▁a ▁more ▁threatened ▁category . ▁The ▁population ▁tr end ▁is ▁stable . ▁It ▁was ▁ass essed ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 7 . ▁ ▁Be havior ▁S istr urus ▁mil i arius ▁is ▁usually ▁seen ▁in ▁the ▁summer ▁sun ning ▁itself ▁or ▁crossing ▁the ▁road ▁late ▁in ▁the ▁day . ▁The ▁tiny ▁r attle ▁makes ▁a ▁bu zz ing ▁sound ▁that ▁can ▁only ▁be ▁heard ▁from ▁a ▁few ▁feet ▁away . ▁Some ▁individuals ▁are ▁very ▁ag gress ive ▁and ▁strike ▁fur iously , ▁while ▁others ▁seem ▁le th arg ic ▁and ▁do ▁not ▁even ▁attempt ▁to ▁r attle . ▁It ▁does ▁not ▁dig ▁its ▁own ▁bur rows , ▁but ▁rather ▁uses ▁those ▁d ug ▁by ▁small ▁rod ents ▁or ▁g opher ▁tort o ises ▁( G opher us ▁poly ph em us ). ▁ ▁Fe eding ▁The ▁di et ▁of ▁S . ▁mil i arius ▁includes ▁small ▁m amm als ▁and ▁birds , ▁l iz ards , ▁insect s , ▁and ▁fro gs , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁other ▁sn akes . ▁P yg my ▁r att les n akes