A pretty orange Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake from Yavapai County, Arizona. The oxidation in the surrounding rock shows why this snake is the color that it is. I got some photos and watched it crawl off in the direction it was headed.
This Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake was resting on a small rise just below its aestivation den in Phoenix. She’s pregnant, and will stayed in the area most of the summer before moving up the hill to a rocky slope to give birth.
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake resting under a bush on a cool Spring day. With temperatures still in the low 50s at night, this snake sat out overnight waiting for prey to wander by, nearly a quarter mile from its den further up the bajada.
A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake found in the lower foothills of the Cerbat Mountains of Mohave County, Arizona.
Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake sitting out in the early morning after a long night waiting for a mouse. It will have another chance for prey, as birds and lizards visit the hillside, possibly not noticing this orange “rock” perfectly situated in the landscape.
A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake hiding away on a dry May day. A site nearby will serve as an aestivation den a few weeks later, once temperatures were firmly in the triple digits each day.
A pink Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake resting in rocks near the Rattlesnake Solutions office in the first morning sun, This snake uses the same area each year, showing up around June and leaving once aestivation is no longer necessary during the monsoon. Where it goes in the cooler months is unknown, but the tight site fidelity of this species is nearly absolute in most cases. This was in 2021, and if she survives another year, there is no doubt we’ll see her again in the same spot in 2025.
A Speckled Rattlesnake on a small, ridiculously hot Mexican island. In the sparse vegetation littered with bones of cetaceans and fish, these small rattlesnakes survive.
A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake waiting for an unlucky animal to come along in Phoenix. These locations are carefully selected, often after tracking a scent trail for some distance to find an ideal ambush situation.
