After a relatively unproductive weekend in the early Spring at higher elevation, I made a quick stop by a large rocky outcrop on the way home on a whim. I have been driving past this particular rock for more than a decade, always in a hurry somewhere or dead tired, always thinking “one nof these days, I’ll check that out; it has to be a den“. Well that day was the day, and of course, it was a winter den. This large blacktailed rattlesnake was laid out over a boulder getting some sun, with others another in the crevices behind it. I’ll check it out again next year in more prime conditions.
A male Western Diamondback Rattlesnake raises up to challenge another to a fight. The only problem: rocks getting in the way. Both males discovered one another in a narrow gap, which caused a lot of awkward shuffling before they managed to get some room to wrestle. Eventually, the other came out as well, and after a brief wrestling match, both went tumbling down the hill with no clear victor.
Blacktailed Rattlesnakes can live in a wide variety of habitats, from high pine forests to low desert around sea level. This one was found in Greenlee County, Arizona several years ago.
Camping and fishing along any waterway along the rim in Arizona, it’s common to see gartersnakes cruising around the vegetation. There are several species of gartersnakes in Arizona, but this may be the most commonly encountered. Wandering Gartersnakes are a subspecies of Western Terrestrial Gartersnake that inhabit a variety of habitat, though are most often spotted in shallow water going after tadpoles and small fish.
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake comes out of its den for the day on a warm Spring day. This site is shared by three species of rattlesnakes, and at least a few species of other snakes. As spring egress progresses, each will use the area slightly differently, emerging, staging, and eventually distributing on their own schedules.
Cerralvo Island Rattlesnake, endemic to Isla Cerralvo in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. This is one of a couple of rattlesnakes found on this island. This one was found near the beach where we camped.
A Sonoran Whipsnake from near Phoenix, Arizona. These fast, diurnal animals can be seen on occasion darting across trails or roads, even in the peak heat of the day. Large, forward-facing eyes and a body style made for speed mean that any lizard that ends up in its sight isn’t going to have a good day.
They show up from time to time at homes at the very edges of the city. Based on our records of snake encounters at homes over the last 16 years, they are not as good at adapting to semi-developed areas as other, similar species, like coachwhips.
A few years ago, I saw what would be the only known record of one in the Piestewa Peak preserve area. It was in the middle of the night, resting in loose rocks in front of a spot where several Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes were about to give birth. Sonoran Whipsnakes include rattlesnakes in their diet, and I assumed it was waiting for that opportunity. Unfortunately, I chose to slowly reach for my camera rather than dive into to rocks to grab it, and it escaped without a photo record. So, an observation went into the notes for the night’s field session, but the preserve is still without an official record.
