bakSovrbar said:
Mojave rattlers are still fine for numbers, one of the more common ones next to the western diamondback, in the low lands. There are other protected species, usually in the mountainous areas, and they are much harder to find – I have tried.
I love Arizona – everything about it and it's my favourite place to look for snakes, but I also love seeing the cattle there. My exhusband (hated cows) used to get so angry when I'd want to stop at any auction marts around, that he'd start eating more chicken in some sort of protest. Hilarious.
But love your state.
You are right I checked the endagered spcies list and found the Mojave rattle snake of be on thre least endagered list.
Interesting fact!
Mojave Rattlesnake
Genus: Crotalus
Species: scutulatus
As the name says, this snake lives in the Mojave Desert of California. It can also be found in the extreme western part of Texas, and Southern Nevada to Puebla, near the southern edge of the Mexican plateau.
The Mojave Rattlesnake lives mainly in the high desert and lower mountain slopes. Its habitat may vary from the dry desert to
grasslands and bushes. It is most commonly found in scattered scrubby growth like creosote bush and mesquite, and is rarely found in rocky, hilly terrain.
Adults can reach lengths of 2 to 4 feet, making it a medium-sized rattlesnake.
The Mojave rattlesnake can easily be mistaken for the Western Diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), which inhabits an overlapping range. They both have well-defined light-edged diamonds down the middle of their backs. The diamond pattern fades towards the last third of the Mojave Rattlesnake, whereas the diamonds continue to the tail in the Western Diamondback. The tail of the Mojave has contrasting light and dark rings. The white rings are much wider than the black rings, while the Diamondbacks have thick black rings.
Some Mojave rattlesnakes are greenish, but can be colored greenish gray, olive-green, or occasionally brownish or yellowish.
This rattlesnake has a very potent venom which is considered ten times more toxic than other North American rattlesnakes, a fact that makes the Mojave rattlesnake one of the most dangerous poisonous snakes in the United States. Their venom works as a neurotoxin and is called Mojave toxin. Strangely, the bite of a Mojave Rattlesnake is usually not as painful as other rattlesnake bites.
P.S. If you sould get into the Tucson are try and get to the Desert Museum, lots of live exhibists, and very informitive information about the area wildlife,
My wife and i have season passes and use them to take friends and family that visit to see, Been there lots of times and find out new things all the time
http://desertmuseum.org