diff --git a/src/cryptography/hazmat/primitives/serialization.py b/src/cryptography/hazmat/primitives/serialization.py
index e1ffab9..38c541c 100644
--- a/src/cryptography/hazmat/primitives/serialization.py
+++ b/src/cryptography/hazmat/primitives/serialization.py
@@ -56,8 +56,7 @@
 
 
 def _load_ssh_rsa_public_key(data, backend):
-    if not data.startswith(b'ssh-rsa '):
-        raise ValueError('SSH-formatted RSA keys must begin with ssh-rsa')
+    assert data.startswith(b'ssh-rsa ')
 
     parts = data.split(b' ')
     data = base64.b64decode(parts[1])
diff --git a/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_serialization.py b/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_serialization.py
index f671050..ffe3d7d 100644
--- a/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_serialization.py
+++ b/tests/hazmat/primitives/test_serialization.py
@@ -18,9 +18,8 @@
 from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric import ec
 from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric.rsa import RSAPublicNumbers
 from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.serialization import (
-    _load_ssh_rsa_public_key, load_pem_pkcs8_private_key, load_pem_private_key,
-    load_pem_public_key, load_pem_traditional_openssl_private_key,
-    load_ssh_public_key
+    load_pem_pkcs8_private_key, load_pem_private_key, load_pem_public_key,
+    load_pem_traditional_openssl_private_key, load_ssh_public_key
 )
 
 
@@ -687,19 +686,19 @@
 @pytest.mark.requires_backend_interface(interface=RSABackend)
 class TestSSHSerialization(object):
     def test_load_ssh_public_key_unsupported(self, backend):
-        str_key = b'ssh-dss AAAAB3NzaC1kc3MAAACBAO7q0a7VsQZcdRTCqFentQt...'
+        ssh_key = b'ssh-dss AAAAB3NzaC1kc3MAAACBAO7q0a7VsQZcdRTCqFentQt...'
 
         with pytest.raises(UnsupportedAlgorithm):
-            load_ssh_public_key(str_key, backend)
+            load_ssh_public_key(ssh_key, backend)
 
     def test_load_ssh_public_key_bad_format(self, backend):
-        str_key = b'not-a-real-key'
+        ssh_key = b'not-a-real-key'
 
         with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-            load_ssh_public_key(str_key, backend)
+            load_ssh_public_key(ssh_key, backend)
 
-    def test_load_ssh_public_key(self, backend):
-        str_key = textwrap.dedent("""\
+    def test_load_ssh_public_key_rsa(self, backend):
+        ssh_key = textwrap.dedent("""\
             ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDDu/XRP1kyK6Cgt36gts9XAk
             FiiuJLW6RU0j3KKVZSs1I7Z3UmU9/9aVh/rZV43WQG8jaR6kkcP4stOR0DEtll
             PDA7ZRBnrfiHpSQYQ874AZaAoIjgkv7DBfsE6gcDQLub0PFjWyrYQUJhtOLQEK
@@ -708,68 +707,26 @@
             ///ImSCGHQRvhwariN2tvZ6CBNSLh3iQgeB0AkyJlng7MXB2qYq/Ci2FUOryCX
             2MzHvnbv testkey@localhost""").encode()
 
-        key = load_ssh_public_key(str_key, backend)
+        key = load_ssh_public_key(ssh_key, backend)
 
         assert key is not None
         assert isinstance(key, interfaces.RSAPublicKey)
 
-        if isinstance(key, interfaces.RSAPublicKeyWithNumbers):
-            numbers = key.public_numbers()
+        numbers = key.public_numbers()
 
-            expected_e = 0x10001
-            expected_n = int(
-                '00C3BBF5D13F59322BA0A0B77EA0B6CF570241628AE24B5BA454D'
-                '23DCA295652B3523B67752653DFFD69587FAD9578DD6406F23691'
-                'EA491C3F8B2D391D0312D9653C303B651067ADF887A5241843CEF'
-                '8019680A088E092FEC305FB04EA070340BB9BD0F1635B2AD84142'
-                '61B4E2D010ABD8FC6D2FB768912F78EE6B05A60857532B75B75EF'
-                'C007601A4EF58BA947B7E75E38F3443CDD87E7C138A1DAD9D9FB3'
-                '19FF69DA43A9F6F6B0CD243F042CD1A5AFAEB286BD46AEB2D922B'
-                'D01385D6892167074A0907F94A2BF08A54ABB2FFFFC89920861D0'
-                '46F8706AB88DDADBD9E8204D48B87789081E074024C8996783B31'
-                '7076A98ABF0A2D8550EAF2097D8CCC7BE76EF', 16)
+        expected_e = 0x10001
+        expected_n = int(
+            '00C3BBF5D13F59322BA0A0B77EA0B6CF570241628AE24B5BA454D'
+            '23DCA295652B3523B67752653DFFD69587FAD9578DD6406F23691'
+            'EA491C3F8B2D391D0312D9653C303B651067ADF887A5241843CEF'
+            '8019680A088E092FEC305FB04EA070340BB9BD0F1635B2AD84142'
+            '61B4E2D010ABD8FC6D2FB768912F78EE6B05A60857532B75B75EF'
+            'C007601A4EF58BA947B7E75E38F3443CDD87E7C138A1DAD9D9FB3'
+            '19FF69DA43A9F6F6B0CD243F042CD1A5AFAEB286BD46AEB2D922B'
+            'D01385D6892167074A0907F94A2BF08A54ABB2FFFFC89920861D0'
+            '46F8706AB88DDADBD9E8204D48B87789081E074024C8996783B31'
+            '7076A98ABF0A2D8550EAF2097D8CCC7BE76EF', 16)
 
-            expected = RSAPublicNumbers(expected_e, expected_n)
+        expected = RSAPublicNumbers(expected_e, expected_n)
 
-            assert numbers == expected
-
-    def test_load_ssh_rsa_public_key_bad_format(self, backend):
-        str_key = b'ssh-rsa-not-a-key'
-
-        with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-            _load_ssh_rsa_public_key(str_key, backend)
-
-    def test_load_ssh_rsa_public_key(self, backend):
-        str_key = textwrap.dedent("""\
-            ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDDu/XRP1kyK6Cgt36gts9XAk
-            FiiuJLW6RU0j3KKVZSs1I7Z3UmU9/9aVh/rZV43WQG8jaR6kkcP4stOR0DEtll
-            PDA7ZRBnrfiHpSQYQ874AZaAoIjgkv7DBfsE6gcDQLub0PFjWyrYQUJhtOLQEK
-            vY/G0vt2iRL3juawWmCFdTK3W3XvwAdgGk71i6lHt+deOPNEPN2H58E4odrZ2f
-            sxn/adpDqfb2sM0kPwQs0aWvrrKGvUaustkivQE4XWiSFnB0oJB/lKK/CKVKuy
-            ///ImSCGHQRvhwariN2tvZ6CBNSLh3iQgeB0AkyJlng7MXB2qYq/Ci2FUOryCX
-            2MzHvnbv testkey@localhost""").encode()
-
-        key = _load_ssh_rsa_public_key(str_key, backend)
-
-        assert key is not None
-        assert isinstance(key, interfaces.RSAPublicKey)
-
-        if isinstance(key, interfaces.RSAPublicKeyWithNumbers):
-            numbers = key.public_numbers()
-
-            expected_e = 0x10001
-            expected_n = int(
-                '00C3BBF5D13F59322BA0A0B77EA0B6CF570241628AE24B5BA454D'
-                '23DCA295652B3523B67752653DFFD69587FAD9578DD6406F23691'
-                'EA491C3F8B2D391D0312D9653C303B651067ADF887A5241843CEF'
-                '8019680A088E092FEC305FB04EA070340BB9BD0F1635B2AD84142'
-                '61B4E2D010ABD8FC6D2FB768912F78EE6B05A60857532B75B75EF'
-                'C007601A4EF58BA947B7E75E38F3443CDD87E7C138A1DAD9D9FB3'
-                '19FF69DA43A9F6F6B0CD243F042CD1A5AFAEB286BD46AEB2D922B'
-                'D01385D6892167074A0907F94A2BF08A54ABB2FFFFC89920861D0'
-                '46F8706AB88DDADBD9E8204D48B87789081E074024C8996783B31'
-                '7076A98ABF0A2D8550EAF2097D8CCC7BE76EF', 16)
-
-            expected = RSAPublicNumbers(expected_e, expected_n)
-
-            assert numbers == expected
+        assert numbers == expected