This gorgeous Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake came from a home in South Phoenix in a neighborhood we visit pretty regularly. The homes back right up against a rocky hillside, so Southwestern Speckled and Black-tailed Rattlesnakes occasionally wandering into the neighborhood isn’t unusual.
Austin had used a good release area in a wash just over the hill in the past, but when he returned this time, the landscape had changed. It looked like the wash had experienced some significant flooding last fall, and the spot he had previously used was no longer suitable.
After a longer search, he found a deep crevice at the base of a rock pile just above the wash. The snake was released directly into the rocks, within its estimated home range and with plenty of deep cover available.