Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake vs. Gopher Snake

The Gopher Snake lives almost everywhere in Arizona; when cornered it hisses loudly, flattens its head and shakes its tail, and is often killed as a rattlesnake. A: A broad, triangular head on a thin neck, a pit between the eye and the nostril in the Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake; a narrow head, round pupils, no pit in the Gopher Snake. B: A rattle in the Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake; no rattle: an ordinary tapering tail in the Gopher Snake. C: Rattlesnake blotches or bands in the Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake; square brown or black blotches, busy small marks on the neck, clean bands on the tail in the Gopher Snake. The Gopher Snake is harmless and eats rodents. Venomous: leave rattlesnakes alone and give them room.

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

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