Arizona Black Rattlesnake from Greenlee County

An Arizona Black Rattlesnake resting in partial cover after an exceptionally rainy few days. In this area, along the eastern edge of their range in Arizona, the species can look a bit different. The light bands on this individual, for instance, are wide, in some cases as wide as the darker blotches they surround, and the snake may never darken (much). This is typical for the area, though, as most of the photos you may see of Arizona Black Rattlesnakes online or in field guides are from a handful of more central locations.

Arizona Black Rattlesnake From Greenlee County

An Arizona Black Rattlesnake from the far-eastern end of their range. This species’ appearance can vary from entirely black to light shades of grey and purple and change color from day to day. Many grow into adults that aren’t black at all.

From some areas, they may look strange. But, this may be only bias – most of the photographs you’ll see online of Arizona Black Rattlesnakes are from a handful of locales, and not representative of the phenotypic gamut of the species. The range where this one was found, in particular, has relatively few records of rattlesnakes on the books compared to the rest of the state.