Tag: Phoenix

Blacktailed Rattlesnake with Faint Grey Bands

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

This Blacktailed Rattlesnake is typical of those you’ll see in the Phoenix area. They’re often a yellow/gold or greenish color, with quite a bit of variation in how much pattern is visible. The black tail may also show some faint grey bands, leading to some confusion as people look for a completely black tail to identify them. They are typically misidentified as a Mojave rattlesnake, due to the color and faint tail bands. This one was found on a night hike in a remote canyon, where it was one of several rattlesnakes active that particular evening.

Speckled Rattlesnake in Ambush

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake found in ambush at sunup on a hot day in Arizona. Nearby, a cave with several more has been used as an aestivation site to avoid death in the summer months.

This photograph was taken in 2014. In recent years, the site has been abandoned, most likely due to increased human activity, based on evidence and observation of similar sites in the region.

Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake in Phoenix

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes (Crotalus pyrrhus) are commonly seen by hikers in the Phoenix area at popular parks, even those entirely within the city. They have a relatively extreme level of camouflage for a rattlesnake, and many people are surprised to learn just how many rattlesnakes they walk by even at the most heavily-hiked parks in the city. This is one of several hundred that inhabit one of these parks, found on a hillside below a trail.

Speckled Rattlesnake Aestivation

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus pyrrhus) resting in a small cave during the hottest time of the year. This location receives almost no sun, due to its depth and aspect, which makes it an ideal aestivation site.

Snakes, as do other ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals, do regulate their body temperature by managing external forces. It’s more than just basking in the sun … they also spend a lot of time and energy trying to stay cool. For animals in Arizona, that can be a challenge. These sites, where they return each year when temperatures become lethal, are just as important as a winter hibernation den for rattlesnakes in cooler areas.