Banded Rock Rattlesnakes are common in several of the sky islands of southeastern Arizona. They’re smaller than most expect a rattlesnake to be, with most that I’ve encountered being less than two feet long. They’re also strongly sexually dimorphic, which is not common in rattlesnakes. Males, like this one, often develop bright, metallic greens on their bodies, which matches the common lichen found on rocks where they live. This one that we found was exceptional.
A new mother Banded Rock Rattlesnake oversees her newborn babies at a rock pile in southeastern Arizona. This was during the monsoon season, when abundant moisture triggers the live birth of rattlesnakes. This mother stayed with the newborns until just after their first shed skin, at which point they all dispersed to surrounding habitat.
A Banded Rock Rattlesnake found on a sunny day back in 2013 in the sky islands of Arizona. These small rattlesnakes are locally abundant, but would be difficult to be bitten by anyone not actively looking to handle, capture, or kill them. When they see a person, they typically just slip away into the rocks or grass quickly, sometimes with a parting buzz.
A Banded Rock Rattlesnake in the southeastern corner of Arizona. These are small rattlesnakes that tend to buzz and dive into rocks when seen.
Surprisingly, for as common as they are, discussion with local ranchers is usually met with a “huh?” when describing or showing photos of them.
A Banded Rock Rattlesnake from southeastern Arizona. These snakes are typically quick to rattle and flee into cover. But due to their small size, it can sound more like an insect than a rattlesnake. Despite being common and locally abundant, there is little chance of an accidental bite to anyone not purposely trying to capture one.
A thunderstorm materialized while I was hiking in a canyon in southern Arizona, so I ducked into a grove of suitable trees to wait it out and not be the tallest thing in the area. While waiting, I saw scales … though not many. It was a Banded Rock Rattlesnake that had emerged from nearby rocks to take advantage of the first rain in several months. It was a reminder that even when intently looking for them, most rattlesnake encounters are ones we will never know about.
Close up with a Banded Rock Rattlesnake’s tiny face. These are small rattlesnakes that live in the madrean oak and grasslands of the southeastern corner of the state. This one may have been all of 14 inches long, as a small adult.
Interestingly, the noisy, speckled pattern shown here isn’t present in real life – it tends to appear on camera sensors, even when it’s not visible to the eye.
A small Banded Rock Rattlesnake in ambush along the base of a boulder in southeastern Arizona. The pattern and bands break up its shape, making it difficult to see in context. This is a good way to catch one of the many Yarrows Spiny Lizards jumping around on the same rocks each morning.
A Banded Rock Rattlesnake from southeastern Arizona.
A mated pair of Banded Rock Rattlesnakes, tucked into rocks in a minor drainage in southeastern Arizona. During the late monsoon season, it’s not uncommon to find pairs or rattlesnakes like this, courting and mating in one rock pile while others are still giving birth elsewhere. The period of seasonal rain is the peak of activity for these animals, and a lot needs to be done in a relatively short period of time.
1. Mata-Silva, V. (2011). Ecology of the Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus) in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert. University of Texas at El Paso.
2. Mata-Silva, V., DeSantis, D.L., Wagler, A.E., et al. (2018). Spatial Ecology of Rock Rattlesnakes (Crotalus lepidus) in Far West Texas. Herpetologica, 74(3), 245–255.
https://doi.org/10.1655/Herpetologica-D-17-00091.1