A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake from a mountain range near Phoenix. In this area, this species is usually this orange-cream or brown. This one was found on a rocky hillside earlier in 2025.

I headed out west with my daughter for a night of camping and herping. We grabbed snacks, talked the whole drive, and spent the night road cruising, moving rattlesnakes and other snakes safely off the road. Chasing Rattlesnakes All Night with My Daughter youtu.be/KtO_-hNkHM0

New Mexico Ridgenosed Rattlesnake, Crotalus willardi obscurus. This adult was found in high-elevation woodland.

Collared Tree Lizards (Plica plica) are one of the larger arboreal lizards seen occasionally hiking in Peru. At night they sleep in trees, mostly high and out of sight. But sometimes they are in the understory and can be photographed.

Speckled Rattlesnakes are often seen by hikers in Phoenix, who can be surprised that wildlife can be found even on hiking trails in the middle of the city. If you've ever hiked Camelback, you've likely walked right past at least one of these beautiful pink animals.

A common and beautiful sight on night time walks in the Amazon, the Crowned False Boa. These are relatively small, usually around two feet in length, and aren't biters.

My favorite crocodilian, the Smooth-Fronted Caiman. These little guys live in smaller streams and hills in the rainforest, and have a lot of attitude for such a little guy. This one had no trouble at all letting my camera lens know who's boss when it got a little too close.

One of the many forms of the Rhinella margaritifera complex sharing a spot above ground with a cluster of tiger beetles. Life on the ground in the Amazon can be a dangerous place, so it's not uncommon to find animals spending time on leaves.

One of several Amazon Tree Boas we found in the Peruvian Amazon several years ago.

Mojave Rattlesnake of a fairly typical color and pattern for the Phoenix area. These snakes are common in the flat, sandy creosote areas surrounding the city. They were once common in what is now downtown, being found in the flats around Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak.

This is one of the cooler Anole species I've seen. Tanda's Anole (Anolis tandai), found in Peru in 2023.

Welcome to my Toad Talk. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmfD...

Newborn Rattlesnakes! How Exciting. A bunch of baby rattlesnakes is always a nice surprise. This snake got a bit of a delay in its relocation to make it safer for both her and her new kids. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzVi...

Common Whipsnake, Chironius exoletus. Peru, 2020

These things must be defective. Dusty Jim at the bait shop says "rattlers are aggressive I seen it" but all we can ever get them to do is just try and prevent their own death or ignore us. Oh well, maybe in the next set of tens of thousands of them we'll get a winner.

A customer watched a snake slip into a storage space. We found it tucked behind boxes on the back wall. The home is in a built-up area about 20 yards from a large wash on Tucson’s east side, so that’s where we released it. At a packrat nest entrance it froze, then vanished inside.

A north Phoenix homeowner took his trash cans by the road and said he walked by this spot several more times before realizing there was a rattlesnake coiled there. The only deep cover close to this snake was the garage, which was just around the corner and had gaps.

Three Striped Poison Frog we spotted in the Peruvian Amazon a couple of years ago.

An especially beautiful Central American Eyelash Viper that I found in Costa Rica last year on a family vacation.

Some of the most persistent rattlesnake misinformation is all about the babies. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOrG...

Are These Aggressive Snakes? Of Course Not Sidewinders are a good example of how just because something is moving in your direction doesn't mean it's aggressively chasing you. A little perspective and check on confirmation bias can breathe life into old myths. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-FN...

Rattlesnake in the Garage www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjo-...

Close up with a Black Headed Calico Snake, a harmless mimic of the Hemphrich's Coralsnake which also lives in the area. Found a couple of years ago in Peru.

When Rattlesnakes Turn Into Birds and Turtles Marissa responds to several calls reported as rattlesnakes or even a Gila monster, only to find something else entirely. When people are unfamiliar with Arizona’s wildlife, quick judgments happen—especially in stressful moments. youtu.be/WDsm7DgxzjU

Doing this is the same as installing a rattlesnake den www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANsb...

One of the large treefrogs that can be found in the eastern Amazon. Its mottled pattern is variable, often forming random blotches and shapes that can resemble land masses on an old map.

New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake, Crotalus willardi obscurus

The least likely thing we could have seen in Guatemala – The Torre de Guatel Arboreal Alligator Lizard. Spotted by the laser eyes of Jake Scott, moments after a discussion about how impossible this search was going to be.

A homeowner in Scottsdale was prepping a house for sale when workers spotted two baby Western Diamondbacks in the garage. Both neonates were found hiding in clutter near gaps under the garage door and relocated to nearby desert habitat between homes.

A homeowner in Scottsdale found a neonate Western Diamondback floating near the pool skimmer. The snake was cold but OK. Snakes often slip into pools while trying to drink. We moved this one to better winter habitat and recommend a Critter Ramp so animals can climb out.

A homeowner in Cave Creek was doing yard work when he spotted a rattlesnake coiled by his yucca. He tried to push it out of the yard, but it ended up sitting in the road, so he set a bucket near it to steer cars away and called for relocation instead of leaving it to get hit.

A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake in ambush in a sandy wash on a very hot night. This sand is much cooler than the surrounding rock, with smaller particles that lose energy more quickly.

Does snake fence block the view? Does rattlesnake fencing block your view? Nope! Here's an easy demonstration ... which, by the way, is installed around a backyard where our own kids play. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk5H...

BLUE Rattlesnake released A blue rattlesnake :) Releasing a Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake to suitable cover after being captured near a home in south Phoenix. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NtC...

Rattlesnake Sound A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake retreating to deep cover after being relocated from a home near Phoenix. www.youtube.com/watch?v=H28E...

Rattlesnake Released To A Small Cave A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake released to deep, thermally protected cover. Rattlesnakes can easily die in the wrong conditions, so dumping them out in the nearest bush isn't appropriate. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgc...

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake in habitat. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Lf...

One of the eyelash vipers we found on a family vacation a year ago. It spent days in almost the same spot, only making a short move in the daytime to move under the nearest clump of moss.

A tiny teenine baby Mojave Rattlesnake hiding out on a doorstep :) Of course it can't stay right there, so Marissa gave the little one a ride to a better (safer) spot. Full video: youtu.be/AS3hX8asl6A

In this episode, we’re taking a close look at baby rattlesnakes — what they actually look like, and how to tell them apart from harmless species that often get mislabeled online. youtu.be/AS3hX8asl6A

A Scottsdale homeowner’s dogs came in from a big, bouldery yard with bloody noses; the vet suspected a rattlesnake bite. We searched the property and found a Western Diamondback coiled under a small plant near deep cover, then relocated it to similar rocky desert away from the home.

Winter is the best time to have rattlesnake fencing installed. Wait times and costs are both lowest, while the snake relocation hotline isn't jumping off the hook. Here's a recent example, with a homeowner planning ahead to a rattlesnake-free 2026. AZROC 321123

An Arizona Ridgenosed Rattlesnake found in bunchgrass on a perfect, overcast day in the Arizona sky islands.

This tiny Desert Nightsnake was called in just before Christmas. At only around 4 inches long, it hasn't had much time on the planet yet, and is already being mistaken as a rattlesnake :)

A north Scottsdale homeowner got a Thanksgiving surprise: a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake near the guest house with family in town. With desert all around, snakes are expected, but this one had to move. It was relocated to a packrat nest at the base of a large tree for winter.

North Phoenix job site: rattlesnake found coiled in the open near a small utility building surrounded by containers and equipment. We captured it and moved it to a large packrat nest in natural desert, a more appropriate winter hideout than under job-site gear.

Scottsdale homeowner found a big pile of poop on the garage floor. Moving the trash can revealed a rattlesnake behind it. A gap under the garage door and lots of desert in the community gave it easy access. We removed it and relocated it to desert cover away from the home.

Scottsdale: after two rattlesnakes were moved just across the street by well-meaning crews, another turned up in the garage. A bad door seal and nearby desert strip meant the snake could keep coming back to the same safe spot. We finally found one tucked in a cabinet and moved it properly.

After a month of endlessly walking around Fear Farm looking for a ghost. On the last day I found a spooky serpent. It was by some pallets in the part of the property the was by the best habitat. Had to set it up for a photo op. Tempe - Marissa

Scottsdale homeowner new to the area checks his yard daily for snakes. On a cold, rainy day he finally found one by the pool equipment. We captured it and moved it to a rocky desert wash with better winter cover, away from the house.