A Sonoran Desert Tortoise making its way around to munch on green grasses and spring blossoms in central Arizona. These animals can live a long time, and can be found year after year using the same locations and burrows. They don’t do well with development, though. When those important sites disappear, they die out. In […]

A Trans-Pecos Ratsnake (Bogertophis subocularis) from the border region of Texas.

We met this Caspian Cobra in the grassy hills of eastern Uzbekistan. This cobra may have the most lethal venom of all cobras … but its venom also shows potential to be an effective treatment for some cancers. Ebrahim K, Vatanpour H, Zare A, Shirazi FH, Nakhjavani M. Anticancer Activity a of Caspian Cobra (Naja […]

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus pyrrhus) resting in a small cave during the hottest time of the year. This location receives almost no sun, due to its depth and aspect, which makes it an ideal aestivation site. Snakes, as do other ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals, do regulate their body temperature by managing external forces. It’s more […]

Banded Rock Rattlesnakes are common in several of the sky islands of southeastern Arizona. They’re smaller than most expect a rattlesnake to be, with most that I’ve encountered being less than two feet long. They’re also strongly sexually dimorphic, which is not common in rattlesnakes. Males, like this one, often develop bright, metallic greens on […]

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake making its way up a nearly vertical wall, taking advantage of numerous leverage opportunities. Rattlesnakes can climb, but not with the same skill as some non-venomous snakes, like gophersnakes or kingsnakes. Even from a moderate height, a fall can injure or even kill the animal, so caution is needed.

A New Mexico Ridgenosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus) from Mexico.

A new mother Banded Rock Rattlesnake oversees her newborn babies at a rock pile in southeastern Arizona. This was during the monsoon season, when abundant moisture triggers the live birth of rattlesnakes. This mother stayed with the newborns until just after their first shed skin, at which point they all dispersed to surrounding habitat.

A Nose-horned Viper in bad need of a shed skin. Greece, 2022.

A Twin Spotted Rattlesnake that we found in eastern Arizona, showing off many more than “twin” spots. These tiny rattlesnakes can vary greatly in appearance from one location to the next, even between individuals in a single population. These are not likely to be seen unless you are spending time in the highest areas of […]