Arizona has some amazing, large lizards. This brightly colored one is an Eastern Collared Lizard. Based on a number of factors, they may be any variation of bright greens, blues, yellows, and oranges. This one was seen at a Prairie Rattlesnake den, carefully considering if we were something it needed to run away from.
A Grand Canyon Rattlesnake from northern Arizona. In time, the pattern on this snake may continue to degrade and fade, but not to the same degree as is common for females of the species.
Just before sunset, we found a Great Basin Rattlesnake crossing a road in northeastern Arizona. It was bothered for a few minutes while we took some photos.
A young Great Basin Rattlesnake found in the Arizona strip – an expansive, relatively isolated region between the Grand Canyon and Utah. In the transition to Great Basin desert grassland, this species is the only rattlesnake all the way north into Idaho, and West into Oregon and northern California. This young snake will fade with age into the two-tone broken blotches of tan and brown … or one of the many other color combinations of the species.
A Grand Canyon Rattlesnake found near its namesake a few years ago. This one is still pretty sharply patterned for a snake of this age.
A little dinosaur warming in the morning sun. The Eastern Collared Lizard is one of the most colorful lizards in Arizona and typically presents itself dramatically against open rock and high perches, making it also one of the most photogenic. This one watched us searching for Prairie Rattlesnakes and darted under cover when it decided we weren’t leaving.
