Tag: Cochise County

The Arizona State Reptile – Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

Arizona has a state reptile that most people will never see, and relatively few know it exists. The Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake.

An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake from the southeastern corner of Arizona. They’re small rattlesnakes, with most that I’ve encountered being less than two feet long. They’re not in the desert, but live in higher elevation oak forests and grassy hills. Even in areas where they are abundant, life-long locals usually greet questions about them with something that sounds like “a what?”

Here’s one we found awhile back in Cochise County, Arizona.

Mojave Rattlesnake in Arizona Grassland

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

I saw this Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) crossing a dirt road near the U.S./Mexican border a few years ago in mid-elevation semi-desert grassland. Several other species can be found in the same band o transitional habitat, including Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnakes, Banded Rock Rattlesnakes, Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes, and Blacktailed Rattlesnakes. I escorted it off the road before it was killed by border patrol vehicles.

Twin-Spotted Rattlesnake in Arizona

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

Twin Spotted Rattlesnakes (Crotalus pricei) are small, high-elevation rattlesnakes that are found in a handful of mountain ranges in the Sky Islands region of Arizona and northern Mexico. They are occasionally seen by hikers on high saddles and trails, where they are quick to flee with a departing buzz. A person would really have to pick one up or be hiking barefoot to get bitten by one, if they’re even lucky enough to see one or have it stick around long enough for that to happen.

Banded Rock Rattlesnake

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

Banded Rock Rattlesnakes are common in the hills and mountains of southeastern Arizona. They come in a variety of colors, often a combination of grey, blue, green, and pink, like this one. They’re quick to flee, and it would be hard to see a situation where a hiker or the relatively few people who live where they do could consider them something to fear. We found this one more than a decade ago, and it very well may be still cruising around in that same spot each year.

Mojave Rattlesnake from Southeastern Arizona

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Mojave Rattlesnake from the grasslands of southeastern Arizona. This species in the area can be highly variable in appearance, from muted green tones to deeply contrasting browns and blacks, each can look very different from the next. This one is a more classic look, with dark diamonds against an olive green base color.

sThe stripe behind the eye, too, is classic Mojave Rattlesnake, extending straight back and never intersecting with the mouth. The two-tone tongue is also perfectly normal, though not always so pronounced.