One of several baby Arizona Black Rattlesnakes laying around outside a winter den earlier in the year. As this snake matures, it will likely darken to mute the contrast shown here and be nearly entirely black, like the other females present in the rocks behind it.

This Regal Horned Lizard decided that basking right in the middle of a busy road was a good idea. It wasn’t. But from the look on its face, my moving it to an anthill a short distance away was not appreciated.

It’s not a great photo, but this is how these snakes are often seen. It’s a Striped Whipsnake; one of several seen cruising around a multi-species rattlesnake den in the spring. Personally, I’ve been clued into a good number of rattlesnakes hidden deep within crevices because of these much more observable snakes, and their preference […]

The first of a handful (not literally) of Central American Eyelash Vipers I found on a family vacation a couple of weeks ago to Costa Rica. This blue-greena nd pink individual stayed the entire week on the same tree, moving lower at night to hope for prey. On the last day, a massive rainstorm got […]

A Great Basin Gophersnake cruising around the rocks that it shares the winter with dozens of Great Basin Rattlesnakes. These important areas where hibernation and subsequent hunting and drinking are better than the surrounding rock piles can be home to multiple species of snakes.

Guatemalan Beaded Lizard found within the small last range of this highly endangered species.

I found this Sonoran Desert Tortoise hanging out at the entrance of one of its burrows. Each year, it returns to the same hole that it’s excavated from a smaller natural gap caused by erosion in the upper edge of a wash. During this time, it is mostly nocturnal, never going too far from its […]

An Amazon Tree Boa we found by boat in Peru. These snakes are commonly found in branches overhanging tributaries of the Amazon river, where they can be seen by distinctive eyeshine at night.

A female Western Diamondback Rattlesnake pausing on a bit near a large bush where she likely lives. These are the most common rattlesnake, if not snake, seen by hikers and homeowners in the Phoenix area.

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.