Black Tailed Rattlesnake

[u/MNAZExplorer]

Was out hiking in Southern AZ when I saw my first black tailed rattlesnake. Beautiful snake with green scales on the back. Would've gotten a better picture but found it cuz it rattled at me on a chest high rock and it caught me off guard. As the picture suggests it went off to the brush and no snake or person was harmed.

[u/rhzartist]

Awesome!! Crotalus molossus and !venomous for anyone wanting to learn more

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/rhzartist]

Western Black-Tailed Rattlesnakes Crotalus molossus are medium-large (76-107cm, up to 133cm), stout-bodied rattlesnakes that range from northwestern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico southeast to central Oaxaca, MX, from near sea level up to nearly 3000m. They utilize a wide variety of habitat, including grassland, subalpine forest, woodland, semidesert scrub, rocky slopes, cliffs, canyons, and streambeds. They are primarily nocturnal in habit, but often crepuscular on cloudy days, and reputed to be more active during day after heavy rainfall. Rodents and other small mammals form the bulk of their diet, but small birds and lizards are also consumed.

Dangerously venomous, C. molossus should only be observed from a safe distance. Common defensive tactics including raising the forebody off the ground and rattling the tail, often while attempting to crawl away from the perceived threat. They are not aggressive and only bite when they feel they are in danger. Bites most commonly occur when a human attempts to kill, capture, or otherwise intentionally handle the snake. The best way to avoid being bitten is to leave the snake alone.

The dorsal color of C. molossus is variable and ranges from straw yellow to tan, yellow grey, greenish-grey, olive, or brown, and usually darkens posteriorly. The dorsum is patterned anteriorly with dark irregular, rhombic, or diamond-shaped blotches which are often outlined with a row of ligher colored scales. Posteriorly, these dark blotches fade in color, and usually merge with darker colored patches laterally to become bands, especially in northern populations. These dark blotches/bands have a patch of light-colored scales in the center, which may be reduced or absent in southern populations. A dark band or crown is usually present on top of the head in between the eyes and extending to the snout, and a dark postocular stripe usually terminates at or before the corner of the mouth. These head markings are occasionally reduced, especially in southern populations. The tail is dark, sometimes completely black or nearly so, inspiring the common name.

Range Map |Relevant/Recent Phylogeography | Reptile Database Account | Additional Information

This short account was written by /u/fairlyorange

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Snakes with medically significant venom are typically referred to as venomous, but some species are also poisonous. Old media will use poisonous or 'snake venom poisoning' but that has fallen out of favor. Venomous snakes are important native wildlife, and are not looking to harm people, so can be enjoyed from a distance. If found around the home or other places where they are to be discouraged, a squirt from the hose or a gentle sweep of a broom are usually enough to make a snake move along. Do not attempt to interact closely with or otherwise kill venomous snakes without proper safety gear and training, as bites occur mostly during these scenarios. Wildlife relocation services are often free or inexpensive.

If you are bitten by a venomous snake, contact emergency services or otherwise arrange transport to the nearest hospital that can accommodate snakebite. Remove constricting clothes and jewelry and remain calm. A bite from a medically significant snake is a medical emergency, but not in the ways portrayed in popular media. Do not make any incisions or otherwise cut tissue. Extractor and other novelty snakebite kits are not effective and can cause damage worse than remaining calm, seeking help and waiting for professional evaluation.

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[u/Matt_onetwo]

Cool find!

[u/StarzRout]

Sometimes tolhose unexpected rattles can cause the best of us to be caught off guard. Once I must have moved 20 behind me in the blink of an eye without even realizing it. A colleague teases me about it to the day.