An Arizona Black Rattlesnake from southern Arizona. Even though I’m only in this location once or twice each year, I have seen this one several times over the last decade. There’s a small rock pile next to a log that it spends much of the summer making small movements around, and it was good to see it again as a little bit older, larger version of the last sighting a few years prior.
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake found in mid-elevation oak woodland near Tucson. This species of rattlesnake can change color in a relatively short amount of time, often appearing much lighter and heavily patterned at night, and transitioning to this inky black in the light. Other factors, such as social interactions and mood may also affect this shift.
These snakes are highly prized by collectors and quite a few leave this particular area in bags each year, often headed for illegal breeding and sale elsewhere in the US.
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake we spotted on a late-night search near Phoenix. These higher-elevation snakes are common in the central Arizona, where they are often misidentified as “Timber Rattlesnake”, though no timber rattlesnakes live anywhere in the Western US.
A young Arizona Black Rattlesnake resting outside its den, where several larger adults have yet to emerge for the day. In time, it will darken and its pattern will fade to be the familiar dark black with yellow bands common in the region.
This same little snake, a year prior and a lot smaller, was what first gave this spot away as a rattlesnake den. Females stay at or near winter dens all year to give birth there, so a chance sighting of a neonate in August was an indication there was more to be found. Since then, I have found dozens more Arizona Black Rattlesnakes, as well as Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes and Blacktailed Rattlesnakes sharing the same den.
A young Arizona Black Rattlesnake from the eastern end of their range, in Greenlee County, Arizona. With most of the light cross bars already having disappeared into the background color, this one may be an interesting looking adult.
This Arizona Black Rattlesnake noticed me at the same time that I saw it as I climbed up a steep, rocky hillside. I stopped and got a few photos, and saw another one right next to it deeper in the crevice of the rocks. I was able to then back down the hill for another route up without further disturbance, and it resumed its move out to the open to get some sun.
Arizona Black Rattlesnakes are amazingly variable in appearance across their range. Most that are seen and photographed are in the relatively well-populated areas of the Mogollon Rim between Flagstaff, Prescott, and Payson. In other parts of their range, however, they look a bit less familiar. This one from the far eastern end of their range in largely inaccessible ranges of Greenlee County has a much messier, mottled look than is typically expected of the species, but common in the area.
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.
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake resting in partial cover after an exceptionally rainy few days. In this area, along the eastern edge of their range in Arizona, the species can look a bit different. The light bands on this individual, for instance, are wide, in some cases as wide as the darker blotches they surround, and the snake may never darken (much). This is typical for the area, though, as most of the photos you may see of Arizona Black Rattlesnakes online or in field guides are from a handful of more central locations.
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake resting in partial cover. These snakes spend a lot of time on the surface, hiding in and as shadows to evade detection by predators and prey.
