I love coachwhips (Coluber flagellum). They’re big, fast, aggressive, and will bite you several times more than may seem prudent … all the good stuff in a snake. Kelly and I managed to find this one as it sprinted across the road early in the morning just North of Tuscon. We see lots, but the trick is catching them. They’re fast and have the best disappearing act of about any snake out here. 

When we got there, it froze and then tried to go right through me. As soon as it was obvious that wasn’t going to work, it reared up like a cobra and decided to go the other route. I managed to get to where I was sitting on it without being bitten, but I can’t say the same for my poor hat.

Anyway, after awhile we got some decent pictures. These snakes have a notoriously nasty temper so we did what we could.

Coluber flagellum

Coachwhip

Some hats were harmed in the making of these photographs.

catching-a-coachwhip

The plan was basically “you hold it by the tail while I keep it’s toothy attention with my hat until it’s tired”. Those feet belong to my brave girlfriend.

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We caught this neonate patchnose snake out and about in the cold while on the way to my parent’s house in New Mexico. I’m glad we were the ones that found him. This is also officially the latest in the year I’ve ever found a snake … November 20th. 

Big Bend Patchnose Snake

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From my archive of stuff I need to get on this site, from before I had a decent camera.

Cophosaurus texanus

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Here’s a Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) I found a year or two ago. Clean and pretty.

Crotalus scutulatus

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I’ve seen a ton of toads, but this is my first Arizona Toad (Anaxyrus microscaphus). I wish I would have realized it then … I would have taken a few more pics!

Arizona Toad, Anaxyrus microscaphus

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A dirty Lampropeltis getula californiae from a few years back. This one was a total jerk and bit my arm.

Lampropeltis getula californiae

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A Phrynosoma solare found after a sprint-time hike a year or two ago.

Phrynosoma solare

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Here’s a Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) from the Western side of the Chiricuahua mountains in Eastern Arizona. Late in the summer there are babies jumping around on about any rock you put your eyes on.

Excuse the crappy photo. It’s an old one, like most of the Wintertime pics I’ve been posting.

Sceloporus jarrovii

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Although I live in the center of a decently old and highly populated part of Phoenix that’s at least 10 minutes from the nearest reasonable habitat for native wildlife, my yard of one of the many here where Ornate Tree Lizards (Urosaurus ornatus) dominate the cinderblock walls and ivy-covered ledges. They’re fun to watch, and my dog likes them too.

Urosaurus ornatus

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A Desert Nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea) from the same trip as the previously mentioned Black-Tailed Rattlesnake. Although slightly venomous, they’re completely harmless and I’ve never had one attempt to bite me. I love their big cat-eyes.

Hypsiglena chlorophaea

Here’s the same little snake sitting on top of my ripped up fingernail. Fancy little guy.

Hypsiglena chlorophaea

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This greenish Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) was actually the first I had been able to take pictures of. The previous year I looked all over for them and really wanted to see one. In late October I finally found one, but it was on a busy mountain road in a severe thunderstorm and it wasn’t safe to leave the car. I had to watch it crawl off the road in front of me. This picture was taken the next March, the first snake I found that year, and my first molossus.

Crotalus molossus

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