A Blacktailed Rattlesnake we found on a late night hike of a canyon near Phoenix, Arizona. These are common snakes in mountainous regions, often seen by hikers. During the summer in desert areas, they are often most often nocturnal, usually encountered around sunup and just after dark. This one, fortunately, lives far from where people […]

Peru, 2023

Karnataka, India 2023

One of the Red-Eyed Treefrogs that called at night from the bushes above a small pond in Costa Rica last year.

A vibrant Northern Blacktailed Rattlesnake hiding away in a crevice in Pinal County, Arizona. These rattlesnakes are one of the species most often encountered by hikers, but are comparatively rarely found at homes. They’re secretive snakes, and easy to walk right by in most instances.

These sideblotched lizards are common and found about everywhere. Even in urban Phoenix and Tucson, they can be seen running around on the maze of block walls and stucco. This one is particularly colorful, found in northern Arizona.

If you walk a stream in much of Arizona right now, there’s a good chance you’ll run into one of these. It’s a Black-necked Gartersnake, getting breath and a break between dives to eat tadpoles. In any of the isolated pools along this drainage, there may be one or two, filling up on these seasonal […]

A Mojave Rattlesnake near Phoenix, Arizona last year. This relatively young snake. While the old idea of counting rattle segments to tell the age of a snake isn’t accurate, much can still be learned. For instance, this snake still has its prebutton intact, which it was born with – its first shed skin revealing the […]

A young Fer De Lance in Peru. These snakes can appear anywhere and everywhere, so watching every step and hand fall is a must. I’m always happy to see one though.

An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake with her newborns. Like many snakes, including all vipers in the U.S., these rattlesnakes do not lay eggs. They give live birth to young, which stay with the mother for a period of time afterward. Once they’ve shed skin for the first time, around ten days later, they will disperse. In […]