A homeowner in Ahwatukee was heading out to walk her dog when she stepped through the front door and noticed this Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake coiled quietly in the corner.
The home sits right next to a large drainage ditch that extends up the rocky mountainside of South Mountain, providing a natural travel corridor for wildlife moving between the mountain and the surrounding neighborhood.
Marissa arrived to relocate the unexpected front-door visitor.
A homeowner living alongside the South Mountain Preserve contacted us after discovering a very “whiteish” rattlesnake beneath a water bowl inside their Sonoran Desert Tortoise enclosure. The family has participated in Arizona’s tortoise adoption program for nearly 20 years, so wildlife encounters are nothing new to them.
While servicing the tortoises and refreshing their water, they uncovered the snake and gave us a call. By the time Alivia arrived, the rattlesnake had moved into the shade beneath a nearby hose caddy. Excitedly, she explained to the family that it was actually a beautiful Speckled Rattlesnake, a species specially adapted to the rocky terrain of the mountain preserve directly behind their home.
As fellow desert wildlife enthusiasts, the homeowners shared in the excitement and agreed the best solution was to relocate the snake nearby within its estimated home range, but away from their beloved tortoise pen. During the conversation, the tortoises themselves slowly emerged from their burrow one by one, seemingly curious about all the attention.
Alivia ultimately relocated the Speckled Rattlesnake deeper into the preserve, hiking to an isolated rocky outcrop farther from surrounding homes and buildings.
A homeowner was playing with her dog when the ball went into this little space, where the dog couldn’t get to it. When she went over to help, she noticed a Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake coiled up just like this. Thankfully, nothing happened and we were able to get the snake back to the preserve.
Sometimes we aren’t able to get a photo of a snake before we have to capture it, so we get a bucket shot. Here are a few recent relocation situations from the Phoenix area. These include a speckled rattlesnake, blacktailed rattlesnake, and a few Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes.
This pretty Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake was found in a bush at a home next to the preserve. Great care is taken to find the right spot to relocate specialist species like this.
