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Chihuahuan Nightsnake vs. Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake

Both are blotched snakes with cat-like pupils in southeastern Arizona; nightsnakes coil and strike like small rattlers. A: Thin and pointed, no rattle in the Chihuahuan Nightsnake; a rattle in the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake. B: Flat, barely wider than the neck; no pit in the Chihuahuan Nightsnake; broad and triangular, with a pit in front of the eye in the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake. C: Small dark blotches, a dark collar on the neck in the Chihuahuan Nightsnake; dusty diamonds edged pale in the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake. Venomous: leave rattlesnakes alone and give them room.

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Chihuahuan Nightsnake

Hypsiglena jani

Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

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