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Fauna: Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Crotalus atrox Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes are poisonous snakes that live in areas of the American Southwest and Mexico. Coloration seems to vary somewhat; the greyish individual pictured above was photographed at Petroglyphs National Monument in New Mexico. It was three to four feet long and sunning itself among the rocks that line a short trail. The snake shown above was photographed at Bandelier National Monument, also in New Mexico. The coloration is much browner than the first individual, and this snake was much longer - probably pushing six feet. We were startled, to say the least, when we first saw it. We were walking along a trail and my wife spotted it slithering in our direction, just next to the path. After rapidly clearing out of the area we returned and took a few photos. On one occasion I apparently got a bit too close and it gave me a nice rattling warning, but for the most part the snake was minding its own business. In fact, it seemed to be looking for something. Another hiker said that he'd seen an obviously injured rodent nearby; perhaps the snake had bitten it earlier and was tracking down its victim. The above photo is a detail of the rattles and tail of the second snake. There is a strong black-and-white striped pattern on the tail. And finally, here's a closeup of the head of the second snake.