A Great Basin Rattlesnake from one of the most remote areas of northwestern Arizona … the kind of place that sees more low flying helicopters than trucks. These snakes, as juveniles, have crisp lines and blotches that look similar to other rattlesnakes of the Western Rattlesnake complex. As they mature, however, the pattern often disintegrates into these messy blotches.
We found this little Great Basin Rattlesnake in extreme northern Arizona. The Great Basin Desert is one of FOUR desert regions that converge in Arizona, each bringing diversity of rattlesnakes and other wildlife to the state. If you’re ever wondering why Arizona has more rattlesnakes than anywhere else, that single fact is a major factor.
A Great Basin Rattlesnake from northern Arizona, showing off its sharply patterned face. These are a wide-spread rattlesnake species, found throughout the Great Basin Desert in the western US, and some transitional habitat with influence from Mohave and Sonoran deserts, and high-elevation pine forest. Personally, I think the rosy-cheeked variety often seen in the Arizona Strip are uniquely beautiful. This one was photographed and left alone to continue doing its rattlesnakey things.
Just before sunset, we found a Great Basin Rattlesnake crossing a road in northeastern Arizona. It was bothered for a few minutes while we took some photos.
A young Great Basin Rattlesnake found in the Arizona strip – an expansive, relatively isolated region between the Grand Canyon and Utah. In the transition to Great Basin desert grassland, this species is the only rattlesnake all the way north into Idaho, and West into Oregon and northern California. This young snake will fade with age into the two-tone broken blotches of tan and brown … or one of the many other color combinations of the species.
A young Great Basin Rattlesnake I found high on a precarious rocky outcrop in the spring. Throughout the week, the remaining rattlesnakes yet to leave the den emerged and made their way down the hill. This one was one of the last to leave but eventually disappeared after a series of warm days.
A Great Basin Rattlesnake spotted in southwestern Idaho during den egress (leaving). I didn’t mean to disturb this one, but it saw me before I saw it, and this is how that goes. Obviously, though, these aren’t aggressive animals and it was very easy to just walk away.
