A Blacktailed Rattlesnake disturbed by my car as I made my way up a mountain road. These are large rattlesnakes found throughout the Sonoran Desert, including the high elevation Sky Islands of the southeastern part of Arizona. After a few photos, this snake was left to crawl down to cover.
This tan Blacktailed Rattlesnake was spotted on a night hike in the Harquahala mountains of western Arizona. In the low desert, they look quite different than the typical yellow and black Blacktails we often post photos of. This is a very adaptable species, thriving in mountainous habitat from sea level to high mountains, in hot, dry deserts to relatively cool pine forest and all in between.
