A bright white and silver Speckled Rattlesnake from a desert boulder field in Baja California Norte, Mexico. This is among my personal favorite phenotypes of a very diverse species.
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake from Baja
Category: Snakes
Arizona Black Rattlesnake In Daylight
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake found in mid-elevation oak woodland near Tucson. This species of rattlesnake can change color in a relatively short amount of time, often appearing much lighter and heavily patterned at night, and transitioning to this inky black in the light. Other factors, such as social interactions and mood may also affect this shift.
These snakes are highly prized by collectors and quite a few leave this particular area in bags each year, often headed for illegal breeding and sale elsewhere in the US.
Arizona Glossysnake
We found this young glossysnake in Gila County on a warm evening. Often, Sonoran Gophersnakes are misidentified as this species. One notable trait to differentiate if up close is in its name. Sonoran Gophersnakes have a ridge (keel) in each scale that gives them a rough texture and appearance, and the Glossysnakes have no such keel, and look smooth and shiny in comparison.
They’re not uncommon, but most people who spend time outdoors are still unlikely to ever see one. Of the snake species we are called to capture at homes, too, this is among the least likely to be there. On that list, it falls behind non-native animals like the Ball Python and Green Iguana in total instances over the years.
Western Diamondback Out in the Rain
One of many Western Diamondback Rattlesnake out in the rain on a cold December night. Being warm is great and all, but water drives activity in the desert.
You may see us issue a statement from time to time to give a heads up before going to firewood piles, etc. These events are largely predictable, where rattlesnakes behave in ways that are surprising to most people, and we may assume it’s not possible to see a rattlesnake. When you see something like that from us, know that it’s from a lot of data and getting out of bed in the middle of the night in December to stand around in the rain waiting to see if snakes come out 🙂
Baby Florida Cottonmouth
A boldly patterned, small Florida Cottonmouth spotted in suitably swampy habitat in Florida a couple of years ago. This pattern will likely fade quite a bit as it ages, but not to the same nearly uniform appearance of their northern relatives.
And no, they don’t chase anyone. Let’s all grow up.
Banded Rock Rattlesnake Under Cover
A thunderstorm materialized while I was hiking in a canyon in southern Arizona, so I ducked into a grove of suitable trees to wait it out and not be the tallest thing in the area. While waiting, I saw scales … though not many. It was a Banded Rock Rattlesnake that had emerged from nearby rocks to take advantage of the first rain in several months. It was a reminder that even when intently looking for them, most rattlesnake encounters are ones we will never know about.
Arizona Black Rattlesnake at Night
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake we spotted on a late-night search near Phoenix. These higher-elevation snakes are common in the central Arizona, where they are often misidentified as “Timber Rattlesnake”, though no timber rattlesnakes live anywhere in the Western US.
Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake in Habitat
An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake in southeastern Arizona. These small rattlesnakes are found in bunchgrass and oak leaf litter at elevations above around 4,500′. Though they may be locally abundant, most of the long-term locals asked in the area about them have no idea it exists.
Buontempo, M. J. (2024). Evolutionary history of a specialized and diverse highland snake complex (Crotalus willardi) (Doctoral dissertation, University of Texas at El Paso). https://scholarworks.utep.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5226&context=open_etd
A Tiny Viper in the Amazon
A tiny green-blue arboreal viper I saw in trees at around eye level on a night hike in Peru a couple of weeks ago. This Two-Striped Forest Pitviper was only about as long as a hand, and as big around as a ballpoint pen.
Two Striped Forest Pitviper
A metallic green jewel of the Amazon – Two-Striped Forest Pitviper, from Peru a few years back.
