One of many Western Diamondback Rattlesnake out in the rain on a cold December night. Being warm is great and all, but water drives activity in the desert. You may see us issue a statement from time to time to give a heads up before going to firewood piles, etc. These events are largely predictable, […]

This skinny young Gila Monster wasn’t doing great when we spotted it out and about in the mountains west of Phoenix. The skinny tail and narrow head show that it’s not been successful in finding food. Hopefully, it managed to do so since this photo was taken back in 2021.

Ok, weirdo. This is a Pipa pipa (Surinam Toad) I photographed in Peru a couple of weeks ago – there were a lot of them! They’re entirely aquatic, and have a crazy reproductive process. After mating and eggs are ready, the male squishes them into swollen tissue on the back of the female (those white […]

A boldly patterned, small Florida Cottonmouth spotted in suitably swampy habitat in Florida a couple of years ago. This pattern will likely fade quite a bit as it ages, but not to the same nearly uniform appearance of their northern relatives. And no, they don’t chase anyone. Let’s all grow up.

A thunderstorm materialized while I was hiking in a canyon in southern Arizona, so I ducked into a grove of suitable trees to wait it out and not be the tallest thing in the area. While waiting, I saw scales … though not many. It was a Banded Rock Rattlesnake that had emerged from nearby […]

An Arizona Black Rattlesnake we spotted on a late-night search near Phoenix. These higher-elevation snakes are common in the central Arizona, where they are often misidentified as “Timber Rattlesnake”, though no timber rattlesnakes live anywhere in the Western US.

We were shown these amazing little primates, the smallest in the world; Western Pygmy Marmosets (Cebuella pygmaea). Each is only about the size of a hand, with the smallest we saw likely comfortable curling up in a donut. They stay in one tree and have a tiny home range, excavating holes in bark to get […]

An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake in southeastern Arizona. These small rattlesnakes are found in bunchgrass and oak leaf litter at elevations above around 4,500′. Though they may be locally abundant, most of the long-term locals asked in the area about them have no idea it exists. Buontempo, M. J. (2024). Evolutionary history of a specialized and […]

Sonoran Desert Tortoises are very active in the early Spring, getting out there to much on all the new green stuff all over. If you live near wild spaces and see a native Desert Tortoise out there, please don’t assume it’s someone’s pet. Far too often, we see people pick up native tortoises and making […]

A tiny green-blue arboreal viper I saw in trees at around eye level on a night hike in Peru a couple of weeks ago. This Two-Striped Forest Pitviper was only about as long as a hand, and as big around as a ballpoint pen.