Sonoran Lyresnake from the eastern end of Arizona. These are secretive snakes that live on rocky hillsides, eating lizards and small mammals. They are mildly venomous, and can cause a reaction in humans, but typically not considered dangerous. Fortunately, a bite can easily be avoided by just leaving these shy animals alone.

A Chihuahuan Whiptail from Greenlee County. This is one of several species of whiptail lizards in the area, darting around in grass and rocks as we walked the area looking for rattlesnakes.

Arizona Black Rattlesnake from a desert population. Many of the snakes here are all black, missing the white or yellow scales that are typical in the more often photographed locations. This one has just a hint of yellow in some dorsal scales, but is otherwise all black or grey, including the belly.

A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake on a hot night time survey of a county park. Thermal cameras show snakes selecting the coolest surfaces in the area to rest in and against – there is possibly more to this, which we are looking into.

Red Diamond Rattlesnake stuffed into a crevice at its den in southern California.

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake found in the lower foothills of the Cerbat Mountains of Mohave County, Arizona.

Arizona Black Rattlesnake lying in ambush nearly vertically against a boulder near an isolated water hole on a hot summer night.

I spotted this Horned Viper basking in the grass at the edge of thick vegetation. Greece, 2022.

A Sonoran Sidewinder from a sandy area in the far western end of the range for this subspecies. This is an older adult, measuring around 18″ long.

A Blacktailed Rattlesnake disturbed by my car as I made my way up a mountain road. These are large rattlesnakes found throughout the Sonoran Desert, including the high elevation Sky Islands of the southeastern part of Arizona. After a few photos, this snake was left to crawl down to cover.