A Speckled Rattlesnake on a small, ridiculously hot Mexican island. In the sparse vegetation littered with bones of cetaceans and fish, these small rattlesnakes survive.
Isla El Muerto Speckled Rattlesnake
Category: Viperidae
Tiger Rattlesnake In Ambush
A large Tiger Rattlesnake in a loose ambush coil near a series of rodent nests. This one was found just after sunup in a heavily urbanized area. Not all hunting postures for rattlesnakes are simple coils. Rattlesnakes may actively track, then settle in for a relatively short period, then move and set up again. I don’t know if this one succeeded, but it was gone when I passed through the area an hour later.
Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes at a Winter Den
Several Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes moving around their winter den on a cloudy, warm Spring day near Tucson. These snakes move daily on the surface like this, mostly avoiding detection, for a few weeks during their transition from hibernation to spring hunting. During that time, a lot of social activity takes place.
Speckled Rattlesnake in Basalt
A Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii) we found in Baja California several years ago, doing its thing in exposed basalt and sand.
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake in Ambush
A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake waiting for an unlucky animal to come along in Phoenix. These locations are carefully selected, often after tracking a scent trail for some distance to find an ideal ambush situation.
Banded Rock Rattlesnake
A Banded Rock Rattlesnake with a pink belly found in southeastern Arizona last year. These small snakes are quick to rattle but seldom stand their ground, opting to flee into bunchgrass or dive into jumbles of rock.
Broad Banded Copperhead
I found this Broad Banded Copperhead in west Texas back in 2014. I got enough caffeine and gas station burritos to last a full night of slow-driving empty roadways, and needed all of it. After not seeing a single-scaled animal the entire night, I finally spotted this beautiful snake crossing the road with the day’s first sun on the horizon.
San Lucan Speckled Rattlesnake
San Lucan Speckled Rattlesnake with a friend that we found near the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
