Tag: Phoenix

Sidewinder, The Horned Rattlesnake

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

cerastesA Sonoran Sidewinder that had just crossed a road west of Phoenix. These small specialist rattlesnakes are abundant in the right conditions. This is the reason that hikers will almost never come across one … the flat sandy habitat they need is nobody’s hiking destination.

Leavitt, D. J., & Grimsley, A. A. (2019). Density, recapture probability, biomass, productivity, and population structure of Sidewinders (Crotalus cerastes) in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Herpetology Notes, 12, 427–435. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332802062

Speckled Rattlesnake from the Estrellas

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

Despite being incredibly easy to observe in surrounding mountain ranges, the Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes in the Sierra Estrella just southwest of Phoenix are harder to spot. They’re likely just as common, but the steep terrain and majority of prime geology for the species being inaccessible reservation land make it a challenge to see one. Kris Haas spotted this pretty one way up mountain.

Speckled Rattlesnake In A Cave

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake hiding from the sun near the entrance of a shallow cave in south Phoenix. During the springtime, this species can be found even relatively far from its rocky habitat, hunting birds and lizards at the base of creosote. This caliche cave, which is also the occasional home to a Sonoran Desert Tortoise or two, is about as far from its winter and summer preferred homes as it will get in the year, nearly a quarter mile from the nearest sizable rock.

Speckled Rattlesnake In Central Phoenix

Posted on by Bryan Hughes

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake as they typically appear around Camelback Mountain in central Phoenix. It’s a surprise to many that multiple species of rattlesnakes are still present within a heavily populated urban area, but they continue to thrive there. Excessive heat from a surrounding sea of pavement makes life difficult in the summer, however, which often leads to encounters at adjacent homes with rattlesnakes looking to cool off in the lawns and citrus oasis of Paradise Valley.