A Rainbow Boa we found in Peru last year. These are popular snakes in the pet trade. In the wild, they can look just as vibrant. But unlike the captive-born pets, these snakes show signs of a hard life in the wild. A variety of scars, ticks, and dings adorn all of them. And unlike the pet boas, too: these snakes bite, and often! Of all of the snakes I’ve seen and handled in the Amazon, this species is responsible for the most damage to the hands of distracted photographers.
A young Blacktailed Rattlesnake resting on top of a boulder. During the heat of summer, deep canyons offer cooler conditions, and water trapped in pools and wet sand months after the last rain. On the hottest, driest nights, we can often predict where these snakes are by the presence of cottonwood and native bunchgrass.
A Sonoran Lyresnake seen late at night on a hike in a remote mountain range in extreme southwestern Arizona. These cryptic, nocturnal snakes live in rocky areas, where they take a variety of prey using venom. But, unless you’re a lizard, you have nothing to fear from this snake … if you ever even see one.
An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake spotted late on a humid monsoon night in southeastern Arizona. This is the state reptile, though relatively few Arizona residents will ever see one.
A New Mexico Ridgenosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus). This federally protected rattlesnake ranges into Arizona, but only a dwindling population remains.
A Spotted Leafnosed Snake found late at night a couple of summers ago. While many snakes are tucked away in late May and June to wait for the monsoon, these snakes are very active. The reason: lizard eggs. These are reptile egg specialists, and June is a great time to be out looking for them to eat. The “leaf” on its nose is a kind of shovel, to help push through soil to get to them. They’re small snakes, less than a foot long typically, and entirely harmless. If captured, they may coil and strike repeatedly with a hiss, but if you look closely, their mouth is closed the entire time. It’s sometimes said that “anything with a mouth can bite”, but can and will aren’t the same thing.
A beast of a Lyresnake! These are typically slender snakes, but this has been very successful. At first it looked like a gophersnake, with a chunky build and round face. These are cryptic snakes that few people that live in Arizona, even born here, will ever see.
A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake resting in partial shade. By making small adjustments to position throughout the day, a snake can precisely regulate its temperature. While they may be encountered out in full sun, this is how the majority of basking is done.
A California Kingsnake on the crawl late at night in central Arizona.
A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake rests in a rocky retreat, waiting for dark. Like other rattlesnake species in the Phoenix area, once temperatures stabilize in the triple digits, their activity becomes mostly nocturnal. The late afternoon is a good time to wait for a lizard or bird to make a mistake, in the meantime.
