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 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 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.
A new mother Banded Rock Rattlesnake oversees her newborn babies at a rock pile in southeastern Arizona. This was during the monsoon season, when abundant moisture triggers the live birth of rattlesnakes. This mother stayed with the newborns until just after their first shed skin, at which point they all dispersed to surrounding habitat.
A neonate Western Diamondback Rattlesnake was spotted coiled near the rodent burrow it has been hiding out in during its first weeks of life. This was in July of last year, so it had to have been born pretty early in the season, relatively, to be by itself at that point.
A beautiful young Madrean Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis knoblochi) from the southeastern corner of Arizona. These colorful snakes harmless, and often seen by hikers on stream-side mountain trails in the Sky Islands region of the state.
A young Desert Kingsnake (Lampropeltis spendida) from the southeastern corner of Arizona.
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.
An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake we saw after dark in southeastern Arizona. These small snakes are great at hiding, and the locals rarely even know they exist.
An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake in southeastern Arizona. These small rattlesnakes are common where they are found, but even ranchers born and raised in the area usually have no idea it exists. That’s thanks, in part, to its nearly perfect camouflage, making it about invisible in oak leaf litter and bunchgrass.
