This Desert Spiny Lizard watched me from a rock, ready to dart to cover if I came any closer. These colorful, relatively large lizards are a common sight in desert parks and stucco jungle around Phoenix.

Despite being incredibly easy to observe in surrounding mountain ranges, the Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes in the Sierra Estrella just southwest of Phoenix are harder to spot. They’re likely just as common, but the steep terrain and majority of prime geology for the species being inaccessible reservation land make it a challenge to see one. Kris […]

A Mojave Rattlesnake from the grasslands of southeastern Arizona. This species in the area can be highly variable in appearance, from muted green tones to deeply contrasting browns and blacks, each can look very different from the next. This one is a more classic look, with dark diamonds against an olive green base color. sThe […]

A young Arizona Black Rattlesnake from the eastern end of their range, in Greenlee County, Arizona. With most of the light cross bars already having disappeared into the background color, this one may be an interesting looking adult.

This Arizona Black Rattlesnake noticed me at the same time that I saw it as I climbed up a steep, rocky hillside. I stopped and got a few photos, and saw another one right next to it deeper in the crevice of the rocks. I was able to then back down the hill for another […]

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake resting outside its aestivation den, which it shares with several others to wait out the hottest, driest time of summer.

One of the many species of coralsnakes that can be found in the matrix of materials that make up the floor of the Amazon rainforest. This is a Hemprich’s Coralsnake. Also, its mimic, a harmless Black-headed Calico Snake. The body and head shape, as well as details of the pattern, are pretty different in a […]

A Grand Canyon Rattlesnake from northern Arizona. In time, the pattern on this snake may continue to degrade and fade, but not to the same degree as is common for females of the species.

This Ghost Anole was one of many anoles seen on a trip to the high forests of Guatemala.

A Sonoran Desert Tortoise resting in the shade in on a hot morning in the Big Horn Mountains of western Arizona. These tortoises become nocturnal during the hottest parts of summer, moving and eating after dark and returning to their deep caves by the time the sun hits the area again.