Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm going herping next week in arizona. What are the ideal temperatures for snakes. If it's 100 degrees during the day then I'm assuming snakes will be active only at night?

thanks in advance.

I live in S. Nevada and I have quite a bit of field experience in the southwest including Ariz. In my experience diurnal species may be found early to mid morning during hot weather and then again for a while around dusk. Other species may be found throughout the night hours but there may be peaks of activity at any given hour. These are rules of thumb and there are definitely many exceptions. It is not uncommon to get skunked when conditions otherwise appear perfect.

Take some pics and keep us posted.
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Randy Hallman
Firehouse Herps

I'm going to be mostly in the Southeast to eastern central. If I have a thermometer I'm assuming I need to be in areas that are around 80 degrees. If it's hotter than that then the snakes will be in the shade or down a hole? If it's colder than 80 then the snakes will be on black top? Are my assumtions close?

I'm pretty new at this.

That is a very rough generalization because there are other variables. If the ambient temperature is not right for reptile activity you are less apt to see them on blacktop as well. Your best bet is to try various parts of the day including morning and dusk but avoid the hot parts of the day. A few animals may be found shaded up during hot weather but most seek shelter where you won’t find them. Road cruising is probably your best bet after dark. You may also want to go up to some of mountain areas in that part of the state.
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Randy Hallman
Firehouse Herps

We'll I struck out. I saw some lizards and a pond full of bullfrogs but no snakes. I did see one snake that looked like a rosy boa that was DOR. According to my reptile book rosy boas shouldn't be found in Cochise county. Is my book wrong or has anyone seen them in that area?

Next time I'll have better luck.