In the 3 weeks I spent herping the areas around Carlsbad, New Mexico, I found a good amount of Western Diamondbacks, Crotalus atrox. It’s usually the same in Arizona … I expected a greater number of Prairie Rattlesnakes to show up, but I only saw one the whole time I was there (though I did see 6 of them dead on the road as I was leaving the state). The diamondbacks were interesting though, in being generally different than the Arizonan snakes I am used to. They tended to be longer, skinnier, and dark.
Here’s a big old boy I found one evening just before the sun went over the Guadalupe mountains.
Here’s another one from a few years back. What a beautiful snake …
My parents live in Carlsbad, so even though I didn’t find everything on my list, I know I eventually will.
Tags: carlsbad, Crotalus atrox, eddy county, new mexico, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake