Category: atrox

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake On Patrol

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A large male Western Diamondback Rattlesnake cruising through dense vegetation, on the lookout for others that may be near. At this higher elevation den in the late fall, the females are already tucked into rock crevices and caves. All that remain on the surface are the largest males, patrolling for rivals, and getting into the occasional fight. This one finished its loop and settled back into the sunny spot it prefers for awhile, before doing it all again about an hour later. Why wait until spring to fight for the good spot, when you can do it in the fall?

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Ready To Fight

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

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.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Warning

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake communicating with me in the same way it does with any of the many predators that it fears. He stands up as tall as he can, hissing, rattling, and making the idea of coming any closer a decidedly bad idea.

What it isn’t doing: showing aggression. This behavior, even though it may seem scary (as it is intended to), is not a sign of “attack”, but a small animal’s best attempt at preserving its own life. For some reason, humans have a very hard time understanding this, and the incredibly simple way for everyone to leave safely: walk away. After a few photos, that’s what I did. Thanks for the heads up, snake.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Basking Under Cover

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake basking in partial cover. This is how rattlesnakes and other reptiles typically thermoregulate. Filtered light and conduction from nearby surfaces and substrate can help them tune in on the right temperatures to a fine degree, all while avoiding detection by predators and prey. This is also a reminder of why it’s best to stay on established trails and keep dogs on leash when hiking in the spring.

Baby Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Shows Its Age

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

Can you tell the age of a rattlesnake from counting the segments of its rattle? For the most part: no. But sometimes, it’s easy. This young Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was found late in the monsoon season. From its rattle, it can be seen it’s shed its skin exactly two times – once to reveal the full button (the notched last segment) from the prebutton it was born with, which is now fully articulated against the proximal segment, which is attached to the tail. That means that this snake was either a successful early-monsoon baby, or a terribly unsuccessful one-year-old. Based on its size and very healthy weight, the former is certainly true. That means that this snake, at the time that it was photographed, was around 2 months old.

It was found crossing a roadway, and escorted to the side to be on its way.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Crossing The Road

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A thin Western Diamondback Rattlesnake stopped for a moment while crossing a dirt road. Often, this behavior is misinterpreted as “sunning”. While snakes may stop to bask like this, in many cases, it’s just that the snake saw the observer first and stopped moving in hopes the perceived predator will not notice it. They don’t know what roads and trails are, however, so imagine it from their perspective: moving along, headed home after a long night of ambush hunting … a monster appears in the distance and comes directly to you! It’s no wonder they then become defensive. But as always, the easy way to remain safe is just not to bother it.

Defensive Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake letting me know that it’s not a smart idea to come closer. This defensive behavior is often mischaracterized as aggression. While there are some cognitive gymnastics that could be done to force word choice, the misinterpretation of what these snakes are doing when in a pose like this often leads to the injury of both the animal and the person. Once a rattlesnake is seen, the danger is over unless the person chooses go approach it, ignoring these very clear signs.