A Madrean Mountain Kingsnake from the southeastern corner of the state. These colorful snakes can be surprisingly difficult to spot, despite their bright coloration. In the low, dappled light and noisy background of their woodland environment, there’s not a “snake shape” to see, and they’re easy to walk right by.
A Chihuahuan Hooknosed Snake we found in Cochise County, Arizona. These small snakes have a specialized scale on its face that it can use to help it uncover its prey: arachnids and centipedes. Of the snakes that can be found in Arizona, this is one of the least often seen, even by snake enthusiasts.
This one became defensive as it was being photographed, striking repeatedly at the camera with a closed mouth. This is a good example of why the popular saying “if it has a mouth, it can bite” is missing a critical component to be relevant: not just can it bite, but WILL it bite. This little snake says no.
A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake from Yavapai County, Arizona, photographed earlier in the year. The combination of geology and lichen in the area produce some beautiful color combinations in the animals evolved to cryptically match it.
A Chuckwalla surveys its vast domain, just north of the Grand Canyon. Here, these large herbivorous lizards take on a sandy, mottled color, making them harder to spot against the ground by predators flying overhead. For an observer at ground level, however, the shape of a vigilant lizards popping up from outcrops and boulders is much easier to spot.
Blacktailed Rattlesnakes can live in a wide variety of habitats, from high pine forests to low desert around sea level. This one was found in Greenlee County, Arizona several years ago.
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake comes out of its den for the day on a warm Spring day. This site is shared by three species of rattlesnakes, and at least a few species of other snakes. As spring egress progresses, each will use the area slightly differently, emerging, staging, and eventually distributing on their own schedules.
A Sonoran Whipsnake from near Phoenix, Arizona. These fast, diurnal animals can be seen on occasion darting across trails or roads, even in the peak heat of the day. Large, forward-facing eyes and a body style made for speed mean that any lizard that ends up in its sight isn’t going to have a good day.
They show up from time to time at homes at the very edges of the city. Based on our records of snake encounters at homes over the last 16 years, they are not as good at adapting to semi-developed areas as other, similar species, like coachwhips.
A few years ago, I saw what would be the only known record of one in the Piestewa Peak preserve area. It was in the middle of the night, resting in loose rocks in front of a spot where several Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes were about to give birth. Sonoran Whipsnakes include rattlesnakes in their diet, and I assumed it was waiting for that opportunity. Unfortunately, I chose to slowly reach for my camera rather than dive into to rocks to grab it, and it escaped without a photo record. So, an observation went into the notes for the night’s field session, but the preserve is still without an official record.
da Frota JG, Sawaya RJ, Spina F. Masticophis bilineatus (Sonoran Whipsnake). Prey. Herpetol Rev. 2003;34(2):149. Available from: https://search.proquest.com/openview/44f1b08a1f0af1087379c71528a42f09/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=3345
Hibbitts TJ. Masticophis bilineatus. Herpetol Rev. 2023;54(1):128. Available from: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&asa=N&AN=171889940
A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake communicating with me in the same way it does with any of the many predators that it fears. He stands up as tall as he can, hissing, rattling, and making the idea of coming any closer a decidedly bad idea.
What it isn’t doing: showing aggression. This behavior, even though it may seem scary (as it is intended to), is not a sign of “attack”, but a small animal’s best attempt at preserving its own life. For some reason, humans have a very hard time understanding this, and the incredibly simple way for everyone to leave safely: walk away. After a few photos, that’s what I did. Thanks for the heads up, snake.
An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake from the southeastern corner of Arizona. I photographed this young snake back in 2014 (that’s how behind I am in photos).
At this point, assuming she hasn’t met an end by fire, drought, bear, poacher, or any of the other ways a small snake can enter the carbon cycle, she is an older adult. She may have given birth every couple or few years, and still has a lot of life to live. Rattlesnakes can live for decades, continually learning to make better use of their environment and home range.
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 may come across it on accident.
