This is one of several Sonoran Sidewinders (Crotalus cerastes cercobombus) we found near Phoenix a while back on a hot night. These small rattlesnakes are abundant in the right habitat. Still, they are rarely seen by hikers, because the flat, sandy soil of the Colorado River subdivision of Sonoran Desert is rarely a scenic destination for hikers.
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.
A Colorado Desert Sidewinder, one of the three subspecies of sidewinders in Arizona. This one was found in the hot, sandy desert of the southwestern corner of the state.
A young Grand Canyon Rattlesnake found in the rocks alongside the Colorado River. This young male’s will fade considerably as it ages, but will likely not become the nearly unicolor look of mature females.
