Tag: arizona

Arizona Black Rattlesnakes At A Multi-Species Den

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A pair of Arizona Black Rattlesnakes take the prime spot at the den, with a half dozen or more shuffling throughout the day behind them. For these snakes, it’s early den egress time, when they stage at and near the den for awhile before heading out for the season. This den is shared by two other species of rattlesnakes, though, all using the rocky area slightly differently. These are the last to emerge, with the Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes and Blacktailed Rattlesnakes having already dispersed for the year.

This was photographed in the late Spring several years ago in southeastern Arizona.

Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake in Orange Form

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake on the move late at night in Phoenix. These snakes are the most commonly encountered snake on many trails in the area. For the reasons you can see here, and others, these snakes are quite often misidentified as Tiger Rattlesnakes when people see them. At popular trails like Piestewa (not where this one was), they’re seen about every night, even on very busy paths. But, contrary to how people often think of rattlesnakes: bites are nearly unheard of in those situations.

Arizona Black Rattlesnake From Greenlee County

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

An Arizona Black Rattlesnake from the far-eastern end of their range. This species’ appearance can vary from entirely black to light shades of grey and purple and change color from day to day. Many grow into adults that aren’t black at all.

From some areas, they may look strange. But, this may be only bias – most of the photographs you’ll see online of Arizona Black Rattlesnakes are from a handful of locales, and not representative of the phenotypic gamut of the species. The range where this one was found, in particular, has relatively few records of rattlesnakes on the books compared to the rest of the state.

Northern Blacktailed Rattlesnake in a Tree

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

I spotted this Northern Blacktailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus molossus) resting about 4′ up in a tree on a hike in Yuma County, Arizona. Being up there can serve many purposes, from getting some cooler air on the belly to better hunting opportunities. This snake was likely hunting, waiting for one of the small birds and lizards common in the area to make its last mistake.

Blacktailed Rattlesnake at the Den

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Blacktailed Rattlesnake resting in the filtered light of a dense bush. This is one of many seen at a relatively densely populated den, at which we only found blacktails. Just down the hill, Western Diamondbacks also made an appearance. With some “up” left in the mountain and a change to more high elevation juniper habitat, we’re hoping for the addition of other rattlesnake species.

Red Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A red-hued Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake from Phoenix, Arizona. Its red coloration is typical of the local phenotype, which may include many variations of reds, orange, purple, and all shades in between.

These snakes are common in popular hiking areas, but are not an issue for people. Considering the hundreds of people that visit area trailheads each weekend during the peak of these animals’ activity, bites are incredibly uncommon. Hikers can keep that status by staying on trails, not wearing headphones or texting while walking, and keeping dogs on leash (it’s the law, too).

Big Tiger Rattlesnake

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A large adult Tiger Rattlesnake from southeastern Arizona. These secretive snakes are common where they are found, but even people who live next to them for a lifetime may never see one. Interestingly, speckled rattlesnakes are often misidentified as tigers … I think it may be as simple as that “tiger rattlesnake” sounds cooler than “speckled”. But, you if you see here, you can see one of the things that make a tiger a tiger: a tiny head, that looks about half as big as it should be for a snake with this body.

Defensive Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake letting me know that it’s not a smart idea to come closer. This defensive behavior is often mischaracterized as aggression. While there are some cognitive gymnastics that could be done to force word choice, the misinterpretation of what these snakes are doing when in a pose like this often leads to the injury of both the animal and the person. Once a rattlesnake is seen, the danger is over unless the person chooses go approach it, ignoring these very clear signs.