A Twin Spotted Rattlesnake at her high elevation retreat. Accessing these areas is somewhere between difficult and impossible, but they’re perfect for a small montane rattlesnake.

A Twin Spotted Rattlesnake at her high elevation retreat. Accessing these areas is somewhere between difficult and impossible, but they’re perfect for a small montane rattlesnake.
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake comes out of its den for the day on a warm Spring day. This site is shared by three species of rattlesnakes, and at least a few species of other snakes. As spring egress progresses, each will use the area slightly differently, emerging, staging, and eventually distributing on their own schedules.
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake resting in partial cover. These snakes spend a lot of time on the surface, hiding in and as shadows to evade detection by predators and prey.
Sonoran Lyresnake from the eastern end of Arizona. These are secretive snakes that live on rocky hillsides, eating lizards and small mammals. They are mildly venomous, and can cause a reaction in humans, but typically not considered dangerous. Fortunately, a bite can easily be avoided by just leaving these shy animals alone.
Rattlesnakes live in the highest areas of Arizona, often taking forms that defy what most residents would think possible. This one, an adult Twin-Spotted Rattlesnake (Crotalus pricei), is only about 20″ long as a mature adult, with a narrow head, tiny rattle, and body pattern that convergently looks just like a harmless nightsnake.
These are one of the four species of rattlesnakes in Arizona that are protected by law from any kind of disturbance, thankfully.