The weird little face of a strange little snake. The Spotted Leafnosed Snake can be found in natural desert areas. Often, they are the only snakes moving on hot, dry, full moon nights in May and June, on the hunt for lizard eggs. The specialized scale on its nose, shaped like a leaf, helps it […]

A Blacktailed Rattlesnake from central Arizona. These snakes are often a green shade, leading to misidentification as a Mojave Rattlesnake (which, ironically, are seldom green in many areas). These are large rattlesnakes that live in mountainous terrain, commonly seen by hikers but rarely by homeowners.

We saw this Panamint Rattlesnake crossing a road with a bulge from a recent successful hunt. It had likely just happened, and we were seeing the animal moving back to cover. Typically, immediately after a rattlesnake eats, it will spend time moving in and out of cover to bask and digest, and be protected from […]

Newborn Banded Rock Rattlesnakes resting just outside of the retreat where they were born a few days prior.

A Colorado Desert Sidewinder, one of the three subspecies of sidewinders in Arizona. This one was found in the hot, sandy desert of the southwestern corner of the state.

A Sonoran Desert Tortoise cruising around near one of its burrows. These animals dig out and widen natural caves in caliche or under boulders that they will use for a lifetime. These are protected by law … but did you know you can adopt one as a family pet, for free? If you have a […]

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake emerges from its aestivation den for a short time to drink rainwater from its scales. In a rare pre-monsoon summer rain, every drop is needed. Hydrophobic keeled scales collect rain droplets, which the snake drinks over time.

A young Blacktailed Rattlesnake breaking position to hide in rocks. We’d accidentally disturbed it by showing up, but it held this pose long enough for us to back off and get a few photos. This is in a remote canyon far from any road, and being bothered by people isn’t a regular thing for the […]

A colorful Banded Rock Rattlesnake from southeastern Arizona. These small rattlesnakes, when encountered, almost always quickly flee. This may be accompanied by a high pitched rattle that could easily be ignored as a cicada, or not heard at all. An interesting note on these snakes: of all of the ranchers, hunters, and cabin owners I’ve […]

One of several Rainbow Boas we found moving through the layers of leaf litter covering the ground in the Peruvian Amazon. Back home, these are popular pets. In the wild, they’re every bit as colorful … but typically highly defensive and quick to bite.