An Arizona Black Rattlesnake from relatively open desert in Maricopa County, Arizona. This species is diverse in appearance and habitat preferences, with this particular population inhabiting generally lower, hotter, and exposed areas.
I scrambled to the high rocky ridge of a mountain in western Arizona, looking for rattlesnakes. The steep terrain and loose rocky ground made it difficult to get there. I was surprised to run into this big Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gophersus morafkai) up there. These animals are great climbers, often picking hiding spots far up hillsides in places I wouldn’t even want to climb. We passed each other, and he headed down slope in what looked to be a dangerously steep area … but as I was the one slipping and sliding all over the place, I figured he knew what he was doing.
A couple of Arizona Black Rattlesnakes tucked away in a den in central Arizona.
A Blacktailed Rattlesnake from central Arizona. The species also often has black eyes, too, especially in higher elevation individuals. This animal is found in mountainous areas, and often misidentified as a Mojave Rattlesnake due to their bright color, even by (especially by!) long-term locals.
A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake from central Arizona. In this region, the rocks are often brightly colored with oxidized metals and tinted crystals. This makes for some really amazing snakes.
A Sonoran Lyresnake we found late at night as it was leaving a rocky hillside, heading out towards open flat desert.
A Lesser Earless Lizard (Holbrookia maculata) from the western edge of Arizona. These lizards, as the name suggests, lack external ear openings to help live in the sandy, debris-filled environment. They still have ears, however, just hidden by skin. This one took a break from skittering away from me for a photo.
A Black-necked Gartersnake we found while hiking a high-elevation stream in Greenlee County, Arizona. This one had lost its pattern entirely, becoming solid grey animal with stripes and its characteristic black patches behind the head.
A Regal Ringnecked Snake we found in central Arizona many years ago. These are venomous, but harmless, eating a wide variety of prey from invertebrates to other snakes. The red color under the tail, which is shown here in defensive display, is just a hint at the bright colors that run the length of the belly.
A Tiger Rattlesnake found in a very heavily visited park. This old snake is one of just a handful of Tiger Rattlesnakes that are known to remain in the park, and likely is very good at evading detection by hikers. This deconstructed, purple-ish tone look is typical for the species in the area. It now carries a PIT tag that will confirm its identity on future sightings.
