Desert Wildlife: Snakes, Scorpions, and What to Actually Worry About

Arizona Poison Center: 1-800-222-1222. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911.

Rattlesnakes kill 5 to 7 Americans per year. Lightning kills more than 50. The fear most hikers have of snakes is not matched by the actual risk. But the precautions are still worth taking, because a rattlesnake bite is a serious medical event regardless of the outcome statistics.

Arizona has 13 rattlesnake species, more than any other state, according to Arizona Game and Fish Department data. They live at every elevation from the desert floor to the ponderosa forests above 7,000 feet. The Sonoran Desert is their home. You’re a visitor.

That’s not a reason to stay off the trail. It’s a reason to know how they behave.

Rattlesnakes: Behavior, Timing, and What to Do

Rattlesnakes want to avoid you. The rattle is their warning system. According to AZGFD, a rattling snake is communicating clearly: I am here, I don’t want trouble, please don’t step on me. The bite is a last resort, not a first response.

April is peak emergence in the Sonoran Desert. Snakes that spent winter dormant under rock piles and in burrows come out hungry and active in the cooler daylight hours. By early May, as temperatures climb, most species shift to nocturnal or crepuscular activity, dawn and dusk, not midday. Through summer, they’re largely out of your way during the hottest part of the day.

The practical implications:

• April and early May: Slow down on rocky and brushy sections. Give every large rock and log your full attention before you step over it.
• Summer months: Be alert at dawn and dusk if you’re hiking before or after sunrise. Snakes on warm pavement or trail surfaces are common in early morning.
• Year-round: Don’t reach into crevices, under vegetation, or into rock piles you can’t see into. Don’t flip rocks or logs with your hands.

If a snake is in your path, stop and wait. Most will move off within a few minutes. If it won’t move, give it a wide berth and keep your eyes on its location the entire time you walk past. Don’t throw rocks. Don’t prod it with a trekking pole. Don’t try to pick it up, even after what appears to be a safe distance. A bite from a “dead” snake is a documented medical event, the reflex can fire for hours after death.

If someone in your group is bitten: call 911 immediately. Keep the bitten area calm and below heart level if possible. Remove rings, watches, or anything tight near the bite site before swelling begins. Do not apply ice, cut the bite, or attempt to suck out venom. These actions cause additional tissue damage without helping. Antivenin is the treatment, and it’s only available at a hospital.

Every rattlesnake bite requires immediate medical evaluation. Call Arizona Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 while you wait for emergency services.

Gila Monsters: The Only Venomous Lizard in the US

Gila monsters are slow, heavy-bodied, and strikingly patterned in orange and black or pink and black. They’re also the only venomous lizard native to the United States.

They’re not aggressive. Gila monster bites are almost always the result of people handling the animal, not of unprovoked attack. A Gila monster walking across a trail will generally ignore you as long as you ignore it. Watch it from a respectful distance and move on.

Their venom is delivered through grooves in their teeth, not injected through hollow fangs like a snake. The bite causes intense, burning pain and significant swelling but is rarely life-threatening in healthy adults. It requires medical evaluation regardless.

You’re unlikely to encounter a Gila monster on a busy trail. They’re most active in spring morning hours and retreat underground in summer heat. But if you see one, photograph it from 6 feet away and consider yourself lucky. They’re rare enough that experienced desert hikers still pause when one crosses their path.

Bark Scorpions: The One That Actually Matters

Arizona has around 60 scorpion species. Most of them can sting you and will cause localized pain, swelling, and a bad afternoon. Only one creates the kind of systemic symptoms that worry emergency physicians.

The bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) is the most venomous scorpion in North America and the most common scorpion in the Sonoran Desert. It’s also small, 2 to 3 inches, and pale yellow, which makes it hard to see.

Bark scorpions don’t burrow. They hide under bark (hence the name), in rock crevices, under logs, in dry vegetation piles, and occasionally inside footwear left outside overnight. They can also climb walls and flat surfaces, which no other scorpion in Arizona does as readily.

A bark scorpion sting causes immediate intense pain, followed by numbness, tingling, and sometimes muscle twitching or spasms. In severe cases, more common in children and older adults, symptoms escalate to difficulty swallowing, blurred vision, and breathing trouble.

If stung, call Arizona Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 immediately. They’ll advise based on symptoms and the victim’s profile. For severe systemic symptoms, call 911. Antivenin (Anascorp) exists and is effective, but it’s administered in a clinical setting.

On the trail, bark scorpions mostly matter in camp settings, checking shoes before putting them on, shaking out clothing, not grabbing firewood bare-handed. On a day hike you’re walking past them, not setting up a sleeping area above them.

The Ones That Aren’t Worth Worrying About

Tarantulas get a dramatic reaction from most hikers who encounter them. They don’t deserve it. Arizona’s tarantulas are docile and the venom is roughly comparable to a bee sting for most people. They’re mostly nocturnal. Male tarantulas roaming in daylight are usually doing their fall mating dispersal walk and have no interest in you.

Black widow spiders live throughout the Sonoran Desert. A black widow bite is medically significant, the neurotoxic venom can cause muscle cramps, abdominal pain, and systemic symptoms, especially in children and older adults. But black widows are reclusive and non-aggressive. They live in dark, sheltered spots: under rocks, in wood piles, in outdoor furniture and debris. Watch where you reach; don’t grab anything blind.

Jumping spiders, wolf spiders, and most of the other spiders you’ll see on desert trails are harmless. They eat insects. They’re doing the trail a favor.

Africanized honey bees (commonly called “killer bees”) are established in the Sonoran Desert and worth understanding. They’re physically identical to European honey bees but far more defensive. They respond to disturbance in much larger numbers and pursue a threat much further. If you encounter an angry swarm, run. Don’t jump into water, they’ll wait. Get indoors or into a vehicle as fast as possible. This is a real risk on desert trails, particularly near rock faces, abandoned structures, and large cactus with cavities. If you hear buzzing from a crack in a rock, keep moving.

Rattlesnake Hiking Safety: The Actual Checklist

Most encounters end with a brief pause and a good story. These habits keep it that way:

• Stay on the trail. Off-trail hiking in dense desert scrub means reaching your hands and feet into places you can’t see.
• Watch the ground, especially on rocky or brushy sections and when stepping over obstacles.
• Give any snake you see at least 6 feet of space.
• Shake out footwear, clothing, and gear that’s been left on the ground, especially if camping.
• Don’t hike alone in remote areas if you can avoid it. A snakebite at mile 6 of a trail with no phone signal is a different problem than one at mile 1 near a parking lot.
• Know the Poison Center number before you need it: 1-800-222-1222.

The desert’s wildlife keeps the ecosystem working. Rattlesnakes control the rodent population. Gila monsters eat eggs and small animals. Scorpions eat insects. None of them want anything from you. Learn to share the trail and you’ll encounter them without incident.