Up close with a Banded Rock Rattlesnake from the sky islands of southeastern Arizona. These small, mountain-dwelling rattlesnakes are quick to flee when found. A typical encounter for a hiker is a short buzz and a glimpse of the last half of its body sliding under a rock.
The tiny black flecks you see in the scales aren’t really visible in real life, or even visible at all. They show up on camera sensors, though, for some reason. Similarly, it’s often difficult to capture the colors of the species on camera … a snake with a bright green stripe down its back may appear to be without it on camera.

