Close up with a Sonoran Sidewinder, showing off its “horns”. They are actually soft scales that rise above the eye, a feature they share convergently with unrelated vipers in deserts on the other side of the world. This is one of several seen on a warm evening last year near Phoenix.

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake from central Arizona. In this region, the rocks are often brightly colored with oxidized metals and tinted crystals. This makes for some really amazing snakes.

A Sonoran Lyresnake we found late at night as it was leaving a rocky hillside, heading out towards open flat desert.

A Lesser Earless Lizard (Holbrookia maculata) from the western edge of Arizona. These lizards, as the name suggests, lack external ear openings to help live in the sandy, debris-filled environment. They still have ears, however, just hidden by skin. This one took a break from skittering away from me for a photo.

One of the colorful Banded Calico Snakes found near camp in Peru a few years back.

A Black-necked Gartersnake we found while hiking a high-elevation stream in Greenlee County, Arizona. This one had lost its pattern entirely, becoming solid grey animal with stripes and its characteristic black patches behind the head.

New Mexico Ridgenosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus) from a survey several years ago.

A Sonoran Desert Tortoise cruising around the rocky outcrop it calls home each Winter. It shares the space with a few Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes and at least one Gila Monster … and a beehive.

A Regal Ringnecked Snake we found in central Arizona many years ago. These are venomous, but harmless, eating a wide variety of prey from invertebrates to other snakes. The red color under the tail, which is shown here in defensive display, is just a hint at the bright colors that run the length of the […]

A Banded Rock Rattlesnake in the southeastern corner of Arizona. These are small rattlesnakes that tend to buzz and dive into rocks when seen. Surprisingly, for as common as they are, discussion with local ranchers is usually met with a “huh?” when describing or showing photos of them.