It's been a minute since I've been on. Last time I was here, I got in some arguments, and eventually just stopped coming here after I got tired of all the scathing PMs and E-mails I got for my efforts. Believe it or not, I don't get online so I can get into stupid arguments. Since then, I've figured out that political/ethical conversations are probably best reserved for the American sites I frequent, no matter how bad I want to respond to a comment I don't agree with. If anyone still wants me to just leave this site to the locals, that's fine. I get it. Just blow up my inbox again and you can be sure I'll take the hint.
But there are a lot of cool herpers here, and I missed reading about some of the awesome finds you guys make, so I've decided to try this once again and see where my new philosophy takes me. I hope you guys like the following photos as much as I enjoy some of your's. This year, they're photos that I actually took myself.
I'll start with the common stuff. As I've stated before, I see a lot of atrox. These are by far the most common rattlesnake in Arizona (and a few other places, too ).
I've seen some scutes this year, too, but they're so common that I almost never photograph them. Ditto for the Sidewinders. I did photograph one of each this year, though, because they were each special to me. This scute is the first I've ever found in an area that I herp on a constant basis. Until recently, I thought they had been extirpated from this particular area. Turns out, I was wrong.
This Sidewinder is actually my lifer C. c. latereropens. It was found under one of the few flippable Ocotillos in the area. Many dead ones were laying on the ground, but we didn't flip most of them, for fear of destroying the moisture barrier they make in the soil. Luckily, though, this one was just right--for all parties involved.
I've seen a few tigers since the monsoons have arrived. These two were found on the same night, less than ten feet apart.
Saw some Blacktails in a few different ranges...
This cerb was by far the most beautiful I've ever seen. It's also the only one I've photographed this year.
I got to photograph more Speckled rattlesnakes this year than last. I love the variability in this species.
This year, I also got to photograph all three species of small montanes that Southeastern AZ has to offer. I'll start with C. w. willardi.
I only saw the Arizona subspecies of Ridgenose. New Mexico eluded me. But seeing pricei and lepidus certainly took some of the sting out of that particular let-down.
Crotalus pricei pricei:
Crotalus lepidus klauberi:
Well that's it for the crote species I've photographed this year. I saw two C. ruber in California, but was so stoked that I forgot to get photos.
Now, if nobody minds too much, I'll throw in some other non-crotes, just to add some variety. Hope you enjoy.
Arizona coralsnake (Micruroides euryxanthus):
Arizona Mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis pyromelana):
California kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae):
Green ratsnake (Senticolis triaspis):
Desert nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea):
Desert Rosy boa (Lichanura trivirgata gracia):
Sonoran gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer affinis):
Regal Ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus regalis):
Sonoran Desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai):
Turkish House gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus):
Western Banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus):
Common Side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana):
Desert Spiny lizard (Sceloporus magister):
Ornate Tree lizard (Sceloporus ornatus):
Greater Short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi):
And last, but certainly not least, the Banded Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum suspectum):
That should do for now. Sorry for the long post, but those are the kind I like to look at myself, so you'll just have to deal with it.
Happy herping everybody. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go check out the, "native venomous," section.