Just before sunset, we found a Great Basin Rattlesnake crossing a road in northeastern Arizona. It was bothered for a few minutes while we took some photos.
Great Basin Rattlesnake On The Road
Category: Snakes
Speckled Rattlesnake In Perfect Ambush
A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake looking just like a chunk of granite, fallen off the overhead outcrop. As the sun gets lower in the sky, a variety of rodents, birds, and lizards do what they do in surrounding bushes and rocks, oblivious to the invisible predator. To hikers on the mountain, they’re often just as cryptic, remaining hidden as hundreds of feet pass by every Saturday on popular trails.
California Kingsnake On The Hunt
A California Kingsnake I saw crossing a road near my house. I was out looking for baby Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes to move off the roadway, which were out in force that night. I think this kingsnake and I were doing the same thing, though hoping for different outcomes. I moved it to the side of the road and wished it luck.
Sonoran Sidewinder Tracking and Mating
I first saw the diagonal parallel track lines in the sand, and stopped the car to take look for who left them. Nearby, the track-owner was on the move: a male Sonoran Sidewinder (right). I recognized its behavior as tracking something … maybe food, a mate, etc. His head moved side to side, tongue flicking fast and touching the ground.
Maybe 20 seconds later – I saw what he was looking for, a larger, female Sonoran Sidewinder. She continued sidewinding out of the area, with him following close behind. She eventually settled under a bush, and his courting eventually paid off. They were still there mating hours later on the return trip.
Notable here: the male went in and out of the standard sidewinding motion and rectilinear (straight, belly crawl) movement when tracking. Sidewinding was again used to move more quickly and keep up with the female when she was on her way.
Tiger Rattlesnake In The Early Morning
A Tiger Rattlesnake from the Phoenix area. These snakes are common in the right conditions, but rarely seen by hikers. One reason: they tend to be more nocturnal than similar species. While they can certainly be found in the daytime, they’re often the first to head in for the day. This one had been out all night near its aestivation den in the hottest time of summer.
Defensive Prairie Rattlesnake
A very cleanly patterned Prairie Rattlesnake found in the New Mexico bootheel over the summer. These snakes, when caught out in the open, can be dramatically defensive. Coiling, moving sideways, and striking repeatedly. They also often opt not to rattle but curl the tail into a half-looped display, which is typical for the species throughout their range.
Arizona Black Rattlesnake Below Its Den
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake from an exposed desert mountain hiding from the sun. This snake is entirely black, missing the lighter-colored bands that are usually retained by the species into adulthood. Above at the crest of the hill, an outcrop of basalt serves as its den, throwing rocks down the bajada between a spring and lower drainage. This snake was about halfway up, still in spring egress staging, eventually descending to the drainage below for the year.
Blacktailed Rattlesnake At Night
A Blacktailed Rattlesnake from just north of Phoenix, found on a long night hike of remote desert canyons. These snakes specialize in mountainous, rocky habitat, and are almost never found in the flats unless moving between nearby hills. They’re large rattlesnakes and often seen by hikers and hunters.
Desert Kingsnake
In the southeastern corner of Arizona, kingsnakes look different than the black and white banded pets many people are familiar with. This Desert Kingsnake, as an example, of a more speckled, chain-link pattern and somewhat more colorful base color. This is, with much variation, similar to how they’ll look throughout the Chihuahuan desert, and much of the subtropical Sonoran.
Baja Ratsnake
A Baja Ratsnake we found late at night in Baja California Sur, showing some iridescence in the camera flash.
