Arizona
Arizona is home to 14 venomous snake species. Here’s what you need to know about them
Mama quail takes on hungry snake to defend her eggs
A trail cam captured a quail successfully fight off a hungry snake in Tucson.
You may be overcome with a sense of “fight or flight” triggered when coming face to face with Arizona’s most intimidating looking rattlesnakes. Smooth eyes, a forked tongue and tiny fangs may be your worst nightmare, especially when you’re not expecting it.
Despite this fear you’ll feel, the chances you of actually get hurt if you follow the proper precautions are low. In most cases, these reptiles are more afraid of you.
“You’re going to be walking by them all the time and not know it because that’s what they’re really good at,” Cale Morris, the Venom Manager at the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary, said. “It’s really easy to stay safe around them.”
To calm your anxieties, here’s everything you need to know about Arizona’s most common venomous snakes.
What are the most common venomous snakes in Arizona?
Arizona is home to 13 species of rattlesnakes, all of which are venomous. There are six species most commonly found in metro Phoenix. These six snakes are:
- Western Diamondback rattlesnake
- Mojave rattlesnake
- Black-tailed rattlesnake
- Speckled rattlesnake
- Tiger rattlesnake
- Sidewinder rattlesnake
Identifying a rattle at the end of their tails and a big triangular-shaped head on a skinny neck will help you figure out if the snake you have encountered is a rattlesnake.
“Any other snakes in Arizona that aren’t venomous, like a gopher snake, they’re not going to have big heads like that. Their heads are going to be about as thick as their neck,” Morris said.
While all six types of rattlesnakes can be found in the Phoenix metro area, each species is adapted to live in certain areas. If you see a rattlesnake in or near the city, it will most likely be the Western Diamondback rattlesnake.
Every year, the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary removes about 300 snakes from someone’s home or backyard, according to Morris. Of these snake hauls, about 95% of the snakes the sanctuary picks up are Western Diamondbacks.
“These other ones are kind of rare, so you’d have to be up against a rocky mountain to have them in your yard,” Morris said. “The black-tailed, tiger and speckled rattlesnake, they all like living in rocky habitats, like on a mountain.”
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Arizona’s other venomous snake is very rare
Rattlesnakes aren’t the only dangerous snakes in Arizona. Coral snakes are the only other venomous snakes found in Arizona but are extremely rare. In Arizona, Coral snakes are distinctly tiny, growing as thick as a pencil as an adult.
“There are bigger Coral snake species that live in other states. So the coral snake kind of gets this reputation,” Morris said. “But our Arizona Coral snake is not anything to really worry about.”
There has never been a Coral snake-related death recorded in the state. Consequently, Arizona hospitals don’t carry Coral snake-specific antivenom. In the chance you do encounter one of these reptiles, Morris recommends you follow basic precautions and stay away.
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When is snake season?
Snakes are cold-blooded and use the temperature of their environment to regulate their bodies. Therefore, they become more active when temperatures level out in the high 70s and low 80s range just like humans. During the summer, when daytime temperatures are consistently hitting triple digits, snakes come out at night.
“We see an influx in early April, because of the temperatures, and then we see them again in August,” Morris said.
“I’ve personally seen rattlesnakes out every month of the year,” Morris said. “Sometimes in December, you’ll get a warm day, it’ll be like 75, and the snakes will actually come out of their burrows a little bit.”
Bobcat fights rattlesnake at Saguaro National Park in Arizona
A bobcat was caught on camera trying to grab a quick rattlesnake snack at Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona on June 3, 2024.
Provided by Saguaro National Park
What should you do if you see a venomous snake?
Believing that a rattlesnake will attack unprovoked is a common misconception.
“There’s no species that is aggressive,” Morris said. “Sometimes people will say Mojaves are more aggressive, they’ll attack you, they’re mean. That’s just an absolute myth.”
Facing a rattlesnake in nature, like on a hiking trail or while camping, may be intimidating but the best way to stay safe is to leave it alone.
“Some people think that you need to like scare them, like yell at them and stomp on the ground or throw rocks to get them to move, but you don’t need to do that,” Morris said. “If you just give them distance, they will move away on their own. It might take a little bit of time, but that’s the best way.”
Although rattlesnakes are not aggressive, you likely want to keep your house and backyard snake-free. If you encounter one in your space, call a professional like the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary which has a rattlesnake hotline and will send someone to relocate the reptile.
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What should you do if you get bit by a venomous snake?
According to the National Park Service, venomous snakes inject a toxin into an enemy through their fangs. Therefore, these snakes are really only dangerous if they bite you.
Because immediate medical attention is the only way to effectively treat a snake bite, getting bit by a venomous snake is considered a 911 emergency. When you arrive at the hospital, you will be given an antivenom that is applicable to all rattlesnakes, so you don’t need to be sure which species bit you.
“The stuff that they used to teach, like putting a tourniquet on it, and sucking the venom, none of that works, we’ve found out,” Morris said. “It’s antivenom that works.”
Because swelling occurs after a bite, Morris also recommends victims remove all jewelry that may become restrictive or uncomfortable.
If a snake bites your pet, the same medical attention is required. Not all emergency veterinary clinics carry antivenom, so it is important you call ahead to check if it’s available before arriving, according to the American Kennel Club.
Arizona
2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals
Since the Arizona Cardinals want to trade back from the No. 3 picks, here are three deals that could work.
The Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which begins this week on Thursday. All the reports coming out are saying that they want to trade out of the pick to acquire more draft picks.
But what does a trade look like and who could be involved?
The Kansas City Chiefs are involved in talks at some level. ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects trade talks to heat up this week.
NFL teams use a variation of a trade value chart when it comes to draft picks. Now, what a team actually is willing to give up can be influenced by potential competition with other teams, but we can’t count on that.
Here is the general trade value chart teams use.
Here are some potential deals that could be done.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have two first-round picks, which would be appealing to the Cardinals, who reportedly want to make a move for quarterback Ty Simpson, and the 29th pick might be just the spot to get him.
The third overall pick is worth 514 points.
The Chiefs’ picks at No. 9 (387 points) and No. 29 (202 points) together are worth 589.
To make up the difference, the Cardinals could give up No. 65 (78 points) for a total of 592 points.
One deal could be:
- Cardinals receive get No. 9 and No. 29 (589 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 65 (592 points)
Another could be:
- Cardinals receive No. 9, No. 29, No. 74 and 2027 third-round pick (653 points + value of future third-round pick, which is 36-78 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 34 (689 points)
The Cardinals keep their third-round pick and the Chiefs essentially move back five spots from No. 29.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks but no pick in the second round.
Pick No. 12 is 347 points and No. 20 is 269 for a total of 616.
This deal is close:
- Cardinals receive No. 12, No. 20 (616 points)
- Cowboys receive No. 3, No. 65 (592 points)
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are perhaps a dark horse to move up, although they do not have two first-round picks. They have the No. 8 pick, worth 406 points. Their second-round pick, at No. 42, is worth 142 points.
This deal could work:
- Cardinals receive No. 8, No. 42 (548 points)
- Saints receive No. 3, No. 104 (547 points)
Then the Cardinals could use their two second-round picks to then move back into Round 1 to get Ty Simpson.
They could trade No. 34, No. 42 and No. 65 (395 points) for No. 28, No. 38 and No. 106 (398 total points).
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com
PHOENIX — Breezy winds kicked up a blanket of dust across the Valley on Sunday, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.
Visibility in Phoenix became so bad on Sunday that Sky Harbor airport stopped flights for over an hour
The wind and dust peaked Sunday afternoon and gradually improved into the evening, said Michael Graves, an air quality meteorologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
“You might’ve seen the mountains a bit obscured in the distance,” Graves told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “A lot of haze in the air.”
By Monday morning, skies had largely cleared and dust levels near the ground had dropped significantly.
Expect more gusty, dusty days this week
The relief may be short-lived.
ADEQ is watching for increased afternoon breezes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, this time from the west and southwest. Though the winds are expected to be weaker than Sunday’s, Graves said forecasters cannot rule out dust.
“I wouldn’t say windstorm,” Graves said. “I would just say we’ve got some waves coming in. They’re going to increase our afternoon breeziness.”
It’s enough to kick up dry, exposed dirt, which could create pockets of dust. There is a slight chance of broader regional dust transport, Graves said.
It will impact people with asthma, COPD or respiratory conditions the most. Graves advised those with issues to monitor conditions and stay indoors during the dustiest hours.
“If you’re going to be outside, be outside during the times when it’s less dusty or hazy,” Graves said.
Graves noted that spring weather systems typically pass to the north of the Phoenix area, delivering wind and slight temperature drops but little to no rain, a pattern likely to continue.
KTAR News reporter Kellen Shover contributed to this report.
Arizona
Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona
The University of Arizona and Tucson are known for yearlong warm weather, but when is it too much? With temperature reaching record highs in March, the city of Tucson has already reported increased temperatures for this year.
In the wake of the third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, integrating voices throughout the City of Tucson, community stakeholders and experts from UA gather to speak about possible solutions and policies to address rising temperatures and extreme heat.
The summit strives to ensure that the lived experiences of Southern Arizona residents are voiced. The first summit commenced in 2024, in response to the declaration of an extreme heat emergency in Arizona by Gov. Katie Hobbs, as part of a larger plan called Arizona’s Extreme Heat Response Plan.
With representation from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, Arizona Jobs with Justice, Tucson Indian Center and many more, the summit emphasized the importance of the perspective and concerns of stakeholder groups throughout the community.
The summit included a variety of UA experts, including faculty representing the School of Geography, Development and Environment; the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.
One particular project, led by Ladd Keith at the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, is a part of the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, which is funded by the United States’ Department of Energy to explore extreme heat throughout Arizona. SW-IFL works in collaboration with other national laboratories including those at ASU and NAU.
The team works to analyze extreme heat in the southwest and rural areas, and how communities deal with heat by conducting interviews. The team has also prescribed policy to Pima County and the City of Tucson regarding more effective strategies to combat rising temperatures, such as green stormwater infrastructure.
Anne-Lise Boyer, a post-doctoral researcher with the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, shared that the team particularly analyzed extreme heat in three parts: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.
Mitigation deals with prevention through strategies such as green infrastructure and planting trees, while management includes cooling sensors and heat warning systems. Governance allows these measures to be enacted through policy.
In Tucson, some of the most meaningful work the team has engaged in has been drafting the City of Tucson’s Heat Action Roadmap in 2024, which outlines goals to mitigate and mandate extreme heat and its impacts while prioritizing community voices.
The goals of the roadmap include informing and educating citizens of Tucson on the adverse effects of extreme heat and cooling people’s homes and neighborhoods by incorporating heat risk in regional planning. These steps are essential to practicing heat management, especially as the city of Tucson grows.
“I think the most interesting thing about being based in Tucson is that because the heat has been here for a long time, it’s like a laboratory in itself,” Boyer said. “We have all this research and all this collaboration happening with local actors because it’s a pressing issue in Arizona.”
As the annual heat summit recurs, new ideas and perspectives continue to be shared throughout the community. Boyer shared that this year, the Southern Arizona Heat Summit focused on the youth perspective, highlighting middle school and high school students and how heat impacts their everyday lives. Many students spoke about how heat shaped their lives at home, school and sports.
“That’s one of the goals, to have community members participate and give their input in how they wish the city will deal with the heat,” Boyer said.
Boyer and Kirsten Lake, a program coordinator for the SW-IFL team, also shared how the impacts of extreme heat impact some neighborhoods and communities in Tucson more than others, and that their research often evaluates these factors to determine where heat management efforts would make the greatest impact.
“Its important when you’re putting into effect some of these measures, that you make sure you put it where it’s going to make the biggest difference,” Lake said.
The work of the SW-IFL team is not just locally known. The Brookhaven National Lab based in New York deployed a specialized truck to Tucson to collect information on the atmosphere and rising temperatures. The SW-IFL team hosted the Brookhaven team.
Additionally, Keith’s work has led to a guidebook called “Planning for Urban Heat Resilience” which focuses on the adverse effects extreme heat poses to marginalized communities across the country.
“It is so different from place to place and neighborhood to neighborhood because you have to take the whole context into account,” Boyer said. “They recommend first to document the heat impacts in your communities.”
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