This is a repost of an earlier post……….whatever. In honor of time in the desert with some less furry friends.
As sure as the temperatures rise, so do the cold blooded critters of the desert. One of my favorites is the Common Sagebrush Lizard. These little suckers are hysterical. They jump out in front of me at 10-15 miles an hour and take off down the trail. Sometimes I’ll focus on them instead of the trail for a truly bizarre sense of motion. After 100 feet or so, they’ll look over their shoulder still at a full run, see that I’m still there and then find another gear. They disappear in puff of dust.
The ones that deserve the most respect are obviously the family Crotalidae. Rattlesnakes. The most common out here seems to be the Western Diamondback. They are not just the color of the ground…they are the ground. Perfectly hidden except for the small bands of black and white just above the rattle. Most of the time, that’s all you see. The nastiest and the least happy to see you is the Green Mojave. I was chased by one onetime…..yeah, exactly.
Another unique poikiothermic member of the hood is the Gila Monster. These are the fairly good sized lizards that look like they won the beaded jacket award.
I suppose they are all God’s creatures but some I’m happier to see than others.
CutsOutside 
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