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.

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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.