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| The mountain ranges of
southern Arizona, June 2022 |
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| Crote 1: Started the trip off right with this
beautiful red speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus pyrrus)
found near Borrego Springs |
Truly a beautiful snake |
Crote 2: Almost a guaranteed snake in the
deserts around Borrego, the Colorado desert sidewinder (Crotalus
cerastes) |
One of my favorite snakes to find near Borrego,
the Colorado Desert Shovel-nosed snake (Chionactis
annulata) |
Banded geckos (Coleonyx variegatus) are
also a very common lizard found at night in southern
California |
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| Crote 3: we took a trail to find the Arizona
black rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus), which Rob
spotted just before sunset |
The crew photographing the AZ black. It was very
difficult to capture the true beauty of this snake in
its natural habitat. So many subtle colors. |
This snake was pretty calm and posed nicely for
photos. |
Dustin pulled this Chihuahuan green toad (Anaxyrus
debilis) out of a well where it could not escape. |
Another species saved from the well, a juvenile
great plains toad (Anaxyrus cognatus). |
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| A strange beetle landed on Dustin's snake hook.
The eyespots were really cool. |
Some cool birds came to the bird feeder in the
back yard of the airbnb in Portal, including these
black-throated sparrows. |
A pair of Gambel's quail getting a drink |
A western earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata) |
One of the holy grail birds of the Chiricahuas,
the elegant trogon. This bird flew right into view.
Unfortunately, the sun had gone down, and this was the
best photo I got. |
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| Crote 4: This prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) was sitting in the road right in front of a border patrol agent. | The agent was a little concerned when he realized that we were photographing a rattlesnake. He moved up the road a bit. | We went up in elevation looking for twin-spots, but only found one of their favorite prey items, the Yarrow's spiny lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) | Another cool animal up near the rocky talus was this red-faced warbler | Back at the airbnb, these male ornate tree lizards (Urosaurus ornatus) were doing battle. |
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| One of the males had a royal blue chin, while the
other had a lime green chin. |
The darker male appeared to the aggressor. | Beautiful sunset at granite gap | We were encouraged by the sight of snake food, a kangaroo rat. | There was a light rain and shortly after, I
spotted this Sonoran coral snake (Micrurus
euryxanthus). |
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| What an amazingly beautiful snake! One we didn't expect to see. | It seemed so out of
place in the dry desert. |
Closeup of the coral snake. It was quite small and jittery, making it difficult to get a great shot. | The crew
photographing venomous snakes. L to R, Nipper Read, Eric
Burke, Dustin Grahn and Phil Wolf. |
Crote 5: Just as we found the coral snake, the guys came in on the walkies that they had found a western black-tailed rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) |
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| What a gorgeous
snake! |
Crote 6: I almost
stepped on this living land-mine, a beautiful Granite
Gap western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox). |
A nice western banded
gecko was found in the yard of the airbnb. |
Crote 7: A nice
Mojave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) was
waiting for us at the driveway of the airbnb. |
Crote 8: The next day found us in the Huachucas with a banded rock rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus klauberi). |
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| Let's play spot the klaub! | Another fun species
to find, the Slevin's bunchgrass lizard (Sceloporus
slevini) was found in the same habitat as the
klauberi. |
A very dark ornate
tree lizard displaying on his rock. |
A Sonoran spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis sonorae) that was found alongside the Slevin's and tree lizards. | Rob found this friendly little western diamondback under a board in the back yard of the second airbnb. |
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| A nice sunset in Saguaro National Park | Although we didn't see any herps in the SNP, we did see this nice tarantula | A nice canyon treefrog (Hyla arenicolor) was found near a number of his dead relatives in a box canyon. | Crote 9: We were all pretty happy to find this AZ ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi)! | One of the most beautiful snakes in the Huachucas. |
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| Dustin feeling dejected as he watched a klaub disappear under a rock before getting a photo. | A nice red alligator lizard (Elegaria kingii) found in the Huachucas. | Another of several
Klaubs found on this trip. This one was a gorgeous blue
color! |
A very old and colorful Sonoran gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer affinis). We gave this guy a drink in exchange for his photo. | Another awesome Klaub. |
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| Rob spotted this tiny juvenile on the crawl. Cute little bugger. | A nice red-spotted toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) was active at dark in the mountains. | A heartbreaking find
was this beautiful yellow montane black-tail that had
just been lethally clipped by a car. |
A very nice Yarrow's spiny up in the mountains. Look at that blue tail! | Another lifer, the Chihuahuan black-headed snake (Tantilla wilcoxi). Dustin flipped this one. I can't believe it held still for photos. |
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| What a motley crew! L to R, Dustin, Nipper, Eric, Rob, Phil, and Justin. | Brothers of the water jug, Nipper and Rob. | On the drive home, I
saw several Great Basin gopher snakes (Pituophis
catenifer deserticola) on the beaver dam slope. |
Was very happy to find this California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californea) in SW Utah. Finally a live one! | This DOR Great Basin Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus) would have been Crote 10 if it had been alive. Poor guy got hit after getting a good meal. |
| Second trip in September, 2022 |
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| The trip began with the release of this tiger rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) that needed relocation | A short hike yielded this greater earless lizard (Cophosaurus texanus), one of my favorites | Another juvenile
great plains toad |
The Chihuahuan green toads are so cool! | We found this checkered garter snake (Thamnophis marcianus) near some wetlands. |
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| Another amphibian, a Mexican spadefoot (Spea multiplicata) was seen on the road | I was very happy to see this species! The Sonoran desert toad (Incilius alvarius), a colorful juvenile. | This was a typical
adult specimen of the Sonoran desert toad. |
A cool natural history event, a Couch's spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii) eating a tarantula. Didn't seem like he was doing so well. | This beautiful longnose snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei) was a welcome find |
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| A large katydid was found on the road. | This spider had dispatched a praying mantis. We saw two such events. | A beautiful sunrise
on the border of AZ and NM |
This alligator lizard was an unexpected find in the desert. | The crew photographing a big WDB. Chuck, Dustin and Steve. |
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| A nice pink western diamondback | This hybrid mojave X prairie rattlesnake was hit just prior to our arrival. The area along the AZ/NM border is the area where these are found. | A nice striped
plateau lizard (Sceloporus virgatus) found at
high elevation in the Chiricahuas. |
Chuck heard this
twin-spot rattlesnake (Crotalus pricei) that was
right below where Dustin was standing. |
Another lifer! What a cool snake. Shown here in typical habitat. |
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| This small snake was pretty cooperative and posed nicely for photos. | Top view shows how these snakes get their name of twin-spot rattlesnake. | He retreated into a
crack, which made for a cool photo. |
How lucky can you get?! Another twin-spot! Steve spotted this one that was in shed and basking on a rock. | A vinegaroon. It gave Dustin a nice spray of vinegar. Crazy looking arachnids! |
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| A very beautiful
Sonoran gopher snake was found while road cruising. |
This juvenile western
diamondback rattlesnake was the next snake observed on
the road. |
The montane
black-tailed rattlesnakes are so beautiful! |
This snake was
observed just coming onto the side of the road. He was
pretty well behaved and posed nicely. |
Which one are you?
Another lifer, a hooded night snake (Hypsiglena sp.) |
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| This species hasn't
been formally described to science yet. Another cool
find! |
Another gargantuan
SDT. |
Dustin found this
little Klaub under a log just after sunset. |
Banded rock
rattlesnakes are such beautiful snakes! |
Look at that blue! |
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| A cool centipede
found under a rock. These are food items of the montane
rattlesnakes. |
This juvenile eastern
patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae) was found
under AC close to where the klauberi was found. |
A fellow herper
alerted us to this AZ ridge-nosed rattlesnake. It was in
shed, but still very cool looking. |
Another banded rock
rattler found in a different canyon. Such a nice reduced
pattern. |
Such a nice contrast
of blue on pink. Such cool buzztails! |
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| Steve spotted this
juvenile mountain short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma
hernandesi) |
The crew
photographing a klaub. Chuck, Dustin and Steve. |
This Chiricahua
leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) was
rescued from a pit. |
Canyon treefrogs have
to be the toughest amphibians. |
Another lifer, an
elegant earless lizard (Holbrookia elegans). |
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| A very large and fast
centipede. Impressive insects! |
Colorful
grasshoppers, like this horse lubber, were seen on a
hike down one of the border canyons. |
A juvenile Clark's
spiny lizard (Sceloporus clarkii). |
A cool red-backed
jumping spider was found near its mate. |
Dustin spotted this
patch-nosed snake on the side of the road. |
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| A very nice looking
black-necked garter snake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis)
with an army green body and light blue head. |
Steve spotted this
lifer Yaqui black-headed snake (Tantila yaquia)
during a pitstop. |
A beautiful sunset on
the border of Mexico. The clouds were crazy! |
A slow night of road
cruising yielded this western diamondback. |
We hiked this
juvenile western banded gecko. Amazing how they can
survive in such a harsh environment. |
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| Dustin's (and our)
lifer green ratsnake (Senticolis triaspis)! |
This young green rat
was just developing his green coloration. |
It was great to see
this species in the wild! Not a bad way to end the trip! |
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| Herp
Species List (43 total) over two trips: |
Anaxyrus cognatus Anaxyrus debilis Anaxyrus punctatus Aspidoscelis sonorae Chionactis annulata Coleonyx variegatus Cophosaurus texanus Crotalus atrox Crotalus cerastes Crotalus cerberus Crotalus lepidus klauberi Crotalus molossus Crotalus pricei Crotalus pyrrus Crotalus scutulatus |
Crotalus viridis Crotalus willardi Elegaria kingii Holbrookia elegans Holbrookia maculata Hyla arenicolor Hypsiglena sp. Incilius alvarius Lampropeltis californea Lithobates chiricahuensis Micrurus euryxanthus Pituophis catenifer affinis Pituophis catenifer deserticola Phrynosoma hernandesi |
Rhinocheilus lecontei Salvadora grahamiae Sceloporus clarkii Scaphiopus couchii Sceloporus jarrovii Sceloporus slevini Sceloporus virgatus Senticolis triaspis Spea multiplicata Tantilla wilcoxi Tantila yaquia Thamnophis cyrtopsis Thamnophis marcianus Urosaurus ornatus |