SNAKEMASTER Vol. 1

01 - The Search for the Red Striped Fierce Rattlesnake -

(January/7/2025) Claire Fitch, a 23-year-old herpetologist is exploring Tonopah Desert in the west of Phoenix, Arizona, in searching for a new species of rattlesnake called Red Striped Fierce Rattlesnake (Crotalus alba). As she keeps searching for the Red Striped Fierce Rattlesnake (Crotalus alba), then she spotted the new species of rattlesnake called Tonopah Fierce Rattlesnake (Crotalus tonopiensis), a new species of rattlesnake found in Tonopah Desert in west of Phoenix, Arizona. It is a white colored snake with grey and black broad bands ranging from the head to tail. Its belly is cream. Claire pulled out her snake tongs to handle the new species of rattlesnake. Although it has no recognized subspecies.

"I'm going to be extra careful; the Tonopah Fierce Rattlesnake is armed with neurotoxic venom." Claire Fitch said. "I need to handle them very gently and avoid getting bitten by this snake."

 Claire is concentrating on handling the Tonopah Fierce Rattlesnake while rattling its tail.

"I'm going to measure the size of this snake."  Claire Fitch said.

Claire measured the size of the snake very carefully.

"5 feet 3 inches long. This is a good size snake." Claire Fitch said. "This is a diurnal terrestrial species feed mostly on rats, mice, voles, gophers, birds such as quails, sparrows and larks, and lizards such as geckos. Some young snakes feed on grasshoppers."

Later, she documents and taking few photographs of Tonopah Fierce Rattlesnake (Crotalus tonopiensis).

"Alright, time to let this snake go." Claire Fitch said.

Claire carefully released the Tonopah Fierce Rattlesnake back to the wild as it slithered to the thick bush unharmed and disappeared.

"Time to find the Red Striped Fierce Rattlesnake (Crotalus alba)." Claire Fitch said.

Claire heads back to the vehicle and drive away from Tonopah Desert.

Later, she arrived in the Coronado National Forest in southeastern Arizona, she parked her vehicle and grabbed her backpacks and start exploring the Coronado National Forest in order to search for the Red Striped Fierce Rattlesnake (Crotalus alba).