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.

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ARIZONA — With so much cap space and an even bigger need to start improving, the Arizona Cardinals often find themselves as a common trade destination for some of the league’s brightest stars looking to start anew and receive a lucrative contract.

After just one season under head coach Jonathan Gannon, the Cardinals appear to be on the right path despite winning just four games last season.

Kyler Murray’s back and healthy. There’s legitimate weapons around him, including an improved offensive line. If Arizona’s defense can see a handful of players step up on the edge and in the secondary, the Cardinals may be better than some anticipate.

Yet the NFL is a star-driven league, and one of the brightest in the constellation available on the trade market soon.

Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb is looking to get paid. Given his performance since being drafted as a first-round pick just a few years ago, it’s certainly warranted.

Whether Dallas will ultimately pay up or not remains to be seen, as Lamb is one of multiple stars the Cowboys must juggle in terms of future contracts as Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons also look to secure their deserved money.

“For the second consecutive year, there’s a possibility a key starter will hold out of training camp. Lamb missed the entire offseason program and is expected to miss training camp if he doesn’t get a new deal,” wrote Calvin Watkins of the The Dallas Morning News.

Lamb could net a contract worth around $30 million per season – whether that’s in Dallas or elsewhere.

Lamb earned All-Pro honors with 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. His impact on the field can’t be overstated, and his potential presence changes dynamics for coordinators far and wide throughout the NFL.

Trade speculation around the former OU pass-catcher has grown as his missing extension remains prevelant.

Once upon a time, Murray and Lamb took the field together at Oklahoma, shredding defenses while the two respective players reached admirable accolades such as Murray’s Heisman trophy and Lamb’s All-American honors.

It was a dream for the connection to be established again at the professional level. Murray departed after the 2018 season and was made the No. 1 overall pick by the Cardinals while Lamb needed one more year with the Sooners.

The following offseason, the Cardinals were in position to draft Lamb, reuniting the dynamic duo and even better, laying the foundation to establish one of the best QB-WR connections in the league.

Murray reportedly lobbied heavily for Arizona to draft Lamb, and with the Oklahoma receiver available on the board, the Cardinals opted for versatile Clemson defender Isaiah Simmons instead.

Nine picks later, Dallas drafted Lamb as the third receiver taken, and the rest as been history.

Now, the cost of acquiring Lamb will be significantly more – but there’s still some vocal on trying to lobby his presence in the desert.

You can never have enough weapons, especially in today’s NFL.

Adding a talent such as Lamb to a core that already possesses the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zay Jones, Trey McBride, James Conner and others would only create more headaches for defensive coordinators while also bolstering Arizona’s arsenal of weapons.

With that many capable bodies, the Cardinals would be a strong candidate to finish near the top of the league in most offensive categories. Lamb’s presence would also further the organization’s commitment to Murray, who they’ve been quite vocal about as a staple of the franchise moving into the future.

It would be an embarrassment of riches – quite honestly.

But that would come with a price.

First, let’s look at what the actual cost of Lamb would be.

A recent similar trade to compare a potential package would be Tyreek Hill, who was dealt from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins for a 2022 first, second, fourth-round pick plus fourth and sixth-round picks in 2023.

Lamb is a couple years younger, so the premium may jump when assessing his worth.

Then, you’d have to extend Lamb. As previously mentioned, he’ll likely net somewhere between $30 million annually, though it’s a league where players continually leapfrog the previous top contract.

While it’s tough to imagine Justin Jefferson’s $35 million annual average being beat, Lamb’s camp can make an argument to jump AJ Brown’s $32 million yearly wage.

Brown received $84 million in practical guarantees with $51 million promised at signing, too.

Lamb’s going to need a few Brink’s trucks for his pending payday.

And so here the Cardinals sit – training camp is just weeks away and they’ve got draft resources and cap space aplenty to make a splash if they so desire.

In all reality, general manager Monti Ossenfort has shown no signs of swinging for the fences this early in his tenure. The Cardinals have optimism surrounding the team – for very good reason – but make no mistake about it: Arizona has so much work to do on the overall outlook of its roster.

Offensively, the Cardinals appear fine without Lamb. Should all parties produce as expected, Arizona already expects themselves to be near the league’s best in terms of offensive production. Lamb would be a great addition to any offense, though he’s not necessarily needed to push Arizona’s offense to the next level.

Arizona believes they have a star and eventual top wideout in Harrison – who was just drafted and is on a cost-controlled contract for at least the next three years before extension talks can take place.

The Cardinals would be better off allocating those resources elsewhere – both in terms of draft capital and salary cap space.

As great as Lamb is (and projects to be in the future), the Cardinals are not one wideout away from planning a Super Bowl parade. Fixing other areas of the team and continuing the ideology of building the franchise through the draft will ensure Arizona remains on schedule with where they want to be.

Make sure you bookmark All Cardinals for the latest news, analysis, updates and much more!