Snakes in Arizona

Arizona is famous among snake enthusiasts, with about 75+ species recorded and 16 of them venomous. Even with that many venomous species, the majority of Arizona's snakes are still harmless. What sets the state apart is its rattlesnakes: Arizona has more species of rattlesnake than any other state in the country, which is why it is so often called the rattlesnake capital of the US. Snakes are most active in the warm months and around the monsoon rains, when they move across desert flats, rocky slopes, and warm roads, but most of what you encounter is non-venomous and eager to avoid you.

That extraordinary diversity comes from Arizona's landscapes. The Sonoran desert covers much of the south and west with saguaro forest, creosote flats, and rocky bajadas, while the southeast carries Chihuahuan desert influence. Rising out of the desert are the sky islands, isolated mountain ranges whose cool, forested, canyon-cut upper slopes act like ecological islands, each one harboring rattlesnakes adapted to that range. The Mogollon Rim and northern high country add yet another set of species. This combination of low hot desert, mountain sky islands, and deep canyons is the single biggest reason Arizona's rattlesnake list runs so long.

The venomous picture is rattlesnake after rattlesnake. The Western Diamond-backed is the big, common desert species, joined by the Western and Prairie Rattlesnakes, the Sidewinder that loops sideways across loose sand, the Speckled and Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes, the Tiger and Arizona Black Rattlesnakes, the Western Black-tailed, and the sky-island specialists: the Twin-spotted, Ridge-nosed, and Rock Rattlesnakes that live only on certain mountains. The Mojave Rattlesnake deserves particular respect for its strongly neurotoxic venom. The Western and Eastern Massasauga round out the rattlers. The one non-rattlesnake is the Sonoran Coralsnake, a small, secretive banded elapid that stays hidden in burrows and litter; the red-and-yellow color rhymes are only a rough US guide and never a safe ID method.

Most snakes Arizonans actually see are harmless desert colubrids. Gophersnakes (often called bullsnakes) are large and put on a hissing, tail-shaking rattlesnake imitation but cannot hurt you, coachwhips race across open ground, and patch-nosed snakes dart through scrub. Kingsnakes are prized because some hunt and eat rattlesnakes, nightsnakes work after dark, hognose snakes flatten their necks and play dead, and a long list of small harmless species fills out the desert. These snakes do real pest control, and many are killed only because a panicked person assumes the worst.

On safety: with 16 venomous species and lots of people living right up against snake habitat, Arizona records many snakebites, but deaths are very rare when a bite gets prompt antivenom and proper medical care. The pattern behind serious bites holds everywhere: most come from handling, harassing, or trying to kill or move a snake, not from a snake seeking out a person. Watch your hands and feet around rocks, woodpiles, and brush, and give any snake a wide berth. Never assume a wild snake is safe to handle, including a small or seemingly calm one. If a bite happens, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or 911 immediately.