Western Diamondback Rattlesnake - Saguaro National Park West

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On May 24th, I was fortunate to have spotted this Western Diamondback Rattlesnake on the Sweetwater Trail at Sagauro National Park West. I had just happened to glance down at the trail, and there it was about four feet in front of me stretched across the trail and not rattling, until I got my camera out. They don’t like cameras, and it moved off the trail looking for a hiding place among the prickly pear cactus. Western Diamondbacks, have a hemotoxic venom, which means blood-damaging, but it turns out that the chemicals in the venom target all sorts of tissues, not just blood.

ranging from about 4,000' to over 9,000'.