(suspenseful music) - I'm Coyote Peterson.
This morning we're in the Sonoran Desert
exploring the back side of Cat Mountain.
Sun's just cresting over the horizon,
which is the perfect time to find reptiles.
Let's break trail and see what we can find.
(dramatic music)
The Southwest hails an epic backdrop for any adventure
and there's no location more picture perfect
than the Sonoran Desert.
Today the crew and I are headed out to capture
some of this beauty, but trust us when we say
looks can be deceiving.
From the rock strewn ankle twisting terrain
to the spike covered plant life,
ready, (sighs)
everything you come across stands to slow down
even the most ambitious adventurers.
It's only like 7:30 in the morning.
I'm already pouring sweat.
It's really important to make sure
you stay hydrated in the desert at all times.
(intense music) - [Voiceover] Oh hey.
Hey guys, there's a snake over here.
- What?
- [Voiceover] Jesus, Matt no, back up.
- Careful, careful.
- Where, where, where, where?
Alright, watch your foot Aaron.
Chance come up slow.
Oh yeah, that is a western diamondback rattlesnake.
Here, let me come to this side.
- [Voiceover] Whoa, careful, careful.
- [Coyote] Yeah, okay. - [Voiceover] Here, he's big.
- Priority number one, guys, is safety.
I wanna get that snake outta there.
I wanna be as careful as I can.
He definitely senses that we're here now.
He's got his tongue flicking out.
He's basically sensing a couple warm body masses
and he says okay this is not prey,
these are potential predators.
What's really difficult about this situation
is all this loose terrain.
And the last thing I want to happen, Chance,
is for you to slip backwards
when I've got that snake coming outta the hole.
Okay, so I'm gonna gently work him out here.
(snake rattles)
Wow, that is a big western diamondback.
He's probably about four and a half, five feet long.
Alright, kinda get him under control a bit,
wow and he is strong!
What I'm gonna do is gently pin his head down.
That will allow me to get control of the snake.
Now this isn't gonna injure the snake in any way,
but allow me to keep myself, you guys and the snake safer
throughout this scene.
(snake rattles)
Okay. (exhales)
Alright, I'll tell ya what.
Nothing makes you more nervous
than capturing a western diamondback rattlesnake
on the side of a rock face like that.
And there ya have it, this is the largest venomous snake
that lives in Arizona.
And he is absolutely beautiful.
I wanna make sure that I have
a firm, yet gentle hold on his head.
And you can see these big puffy spots
on the back of his head there.
Those are the venom glands
and I definitely do not wanna get tagged by this snake.
This is the 2nd most venomous species that lives here
in the Sonoran Desert, 2nd only to the coral snake.
Although these guys are fairly more aggressive,
especially when provoked.
Now look at those eyes.
This is a pit viper and what that means
is they have heat sensing pits
right in front of the nostrils.
And that's how they sense predators or prey.
Now the way you can tell the difference
between an eastern diamondback
and a western diamondback rattlesnake
is that a western diamondback has black and white banding
and the eastern has a black and tan banding.
And that black and white banding has earned this snake
the nickname coon tail.
Now, rattlesnakes are typically ambush predators.
They'll lay in wait for a desert kangaroo rat,
maybe a lizard to come scurrying across its path,
strike out and inject venom with those fangs.
And then what they'll do is follow that prey
and as it begins to slow down from the venom,
then they've got their meal once they find it.
This is a very large western diamondback
and I'm curious to see how long those fangs are.
And I'm sure so are you.
This is totally fine,
I'm just gonna hold the stick out here,
he'll open up his mouth and there you go.
Now you got those fangs out in the open.
You come across this guy in the Sonoran Desert,
you step back and give it respect.
- [Voiceover] Does he have double fangs?
- Holy cow, he does.
Now rattlesnakes are constantly replacing their fangs.
You can actually see he has two sets of fangs.
So one of these sets is getting ready to drop out
and then the new set will be in place
so he can go out there and hunt for his dinner.
Pretty cool to see a rattlesnake with a double set of fangs.
I'm gonna let those fangs back in.
Now the rattlesnake's fangs are just a modified set of teeth
that are hollow so that they can inject venom.
Like these little hypodermic needles
filled with a mytotoxic, cytotoxic and hemotoxic venom
that's gonna put you in some serious pain.
I'll tell ya what, you come out here and you search
and you search for one of these snakes.
Trying to do my own job,
and sure enough it's Mark, director of Breaking Trail,
that comes across the western diamondback.
Good find, buddy, good find.
- I would give you a high five right now,
but I think you need both your hands.
- Yeah definitely need both my hands right now.
I never recommend you go out
and try to capture or handle a rattlesnake
like you saw me do here today.
This is one of the most dangerous reptiles
you can come across in the Sonoran Desert.
And one of the most venomous rattlesnakes
in the United States.
Now I always like to sure whenever I encounter an animal,
I put it back as close to the spot where I found it
as possible.
So I'm gonna let this guy back up into the shade here.
Alright buddy, there ya go.
What a cool encounter with the largest venomous snake
in the Sonoran Desert, the western diamondback.
And so cool that it had a double set of fangs.
I think I'm gonna call him Tommy Two Fang,
but why don't you guys tell me
what you think we shoulda named him.
I'm gonna get the heck outta the Sonoran Desert
and get into the shade.
I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild.
We'll see ya on the next adventure.
If you thought that was one wild adventure,
check out these other animals encounters.
And don't forget, subscribe to follow me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.
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(croaking and hooting)