This pair of Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes were found at a den in central Arizona near the edge of the species range in the area. With at least fifty observable individuals, this is a large den for these snakes in the state, which is also shares with Blacktailed Rattlesnakes and Arizona Black Rattlesnakes. With multiple large males roving around, I was watching hoping for combat, but it didn’t happen this day. This photo was taken right after the snakes eventually moved from courtship to mating, with tails elevated. They remained in this location for at least the rest of the day.
An Arizona Ridgnosed Rattlesnake from Cochise County, Arizona. This is a small rattlesnake that is found in a handful of mountainous areas in the southeastern corner of the state. A hiker may encounter one if they are in the Santa Rita, Patagonia, Huachuca, Canelo, or Whetstone ranges.
Interestingly, every rancher and long-term resident of those areas that I’ve personally spoken to about this species has no idea what I’m talking about. This mirrors many other instances that have taught me one thing: living in an area for a long time, even being born and raised there, does not grant any particular expertise of the animals that live there.
This snake has relatively weak venom for a rattlesnake, but it is still an emergency situation where antivenom should be sought after. It would be hard to find a situation where one would envenomate a person without actually picking it up.
Holzman, S. D., Massey, D. J., Clements, A., Boesen, K. J., & Shirazi, F. M. (2018). Arizona Ridge-nosed rattlesnake envenomation: Case report of a personal encounter with the official state reptile of Arizona, Crotalus willardi willardi. Toxicon, 151, 84–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.07.001
A brilliantly colored Speckled Rattlesnake from central Arizona. The rock in this particular spot doesn’t look very much like the snakes, but the occasional oxidized rock breaks off from higher and tumbles to the ground. When that orange rock sits under a bush or random location against the other grey and browns, it’s just part of the landscape. This snake, though, was hard to miss.
This Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake, at the time this photo was taken, was very gravid (pregnant). She was in a cool area with higher ambient moisture, which is a special place during the heat of the summer in Arizona. She’s still there this year, though at the time I saw her, she was not notably gravid.
A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake caught after breaking coil in a hurry. Sometimes, a situation like this is the result of a strike at passing prey. Afterward, if they succeeded in connecting, they’ll wait a few moments and then go off in search of the prey as it succumbs to the venom elsewhere. Or, if it missed … back to the coil to try again.
This is an old photo of how most of the Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes I’ve seen are found. They were under trash in a heavily populated area. These are what I most wanted to see while visiting friends in the area, though are considered “trash snakes” by some of the locals because of how common they are, and the fact that they add a dangerous element to collecting kingsnakes and boas. I have regrettably few good photographs of these animals, partly for this reason.
A Tiger Rattlesnake from the Phoenix area. The blue-grey base color fading to pink with dark grey bands is a standard look in the area. These snakes are common in popular hiking areas, yet most people who frequent them for a lifetime will never see one because of their cryptic nature.
A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake found in ambush at sunup on a hot day in Arizona. Nearby, a cave with several more has been used as an aestivation site to avoid death in the summer months.
This photograph was taken in 2014. In recent years, the site has been abandoned, most likely due to increased human activity, based on evidence and observation of similar sites in the region.
Up close with a Banded Rock Rattlesnake from the sky islands of southeastern Arizona. These small, mountain-dwelling rattlesnakes are quick to flee when found. A typical encounter for a hiker is a short buzz and a glimpse of the last half of its body sliding under a rock.
The tiny black flecks you see in the scales aren’t really visible in real life, or even visible at all. They show up on camera sensors, though, for some reason. Similarly, it’s often difficult to capture the colors of the species on camera … a snake with a bright green stripe down its back may appear to be without it on camera.
