Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake vs. Sonoran Lyre Snake

Both hunt on rocky slopes and canyons at night; the Lyre Snake has a broad head on a thin neck and cat-like pupils, so it is often taken for a rattlesnake. A: Broad and triangular, with a pit between the eye and the nostril in the Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake; broad behind, with a dark lyre-shaped mark on top and a dark bar between the eyes; no pit in the Sonoran Lyre Snake. B: A rattle in the Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake; no rattle: a slim, tapering tail in the Sonoran Lyre Snake. C: Heavy, with rough keeled scales in the Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake; slim, with smooth scales; under 30 blotches each split by a pale crossbar in the Sonoran Lyre Snake. The Lyre Snake is rear-fanged with a mild venom, harmless to people. 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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