We spent a little time in the Santa Rita mountains South of Tucson in mid July to see what there is to see. The weather actually was pretty horrible for what we were trying to do, but we had to go to Tucson to pick up a few enclosures and thought we might as well make the most of the trip. What we found were 5 rattlesnakes, one of which was the largest rattlesnake I have ever seen in Arizona, as well as a new one for my life list.
The previous night we didn’t see much, except for a pissy Sonoran Gophersnake, Pituophis catenifer affinis, or two.
We also found some Sonora Mud Turtles, Kinsternon sonoriense.
We also found a couple of frogs. The invasive American Bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, and the protected Chiricuahua Leopard Frog, Rana chiricahuensis.
The dry and the heat gave us an uneventful first evening and early morning hike, except for this Ring-Necked Snake, Diadophis punctatus. It was the first either of us had ever seen of this snake, despite it being fairly common throughout much of the state.
Tags: black-tailed rattlesnake, Blacktail, Field Herping, gophersnake, Pituophis catenifer affinis, rattlesnakes, ringneck snake
I really enjoyed the website here. You have really put together a fantastic assortment of photos here on the desert critters we have here.
Great shots, Bryan (as usual). The belly on the ring-necked snake is incredible.