Crotalus willardi silus
KLAUBER 1949
Sonora, Mexico. August 21, 2011
A faint “got one!” floated to my ears from the other side of the canyon. I picked my way down the slope, watching for silus as I went, and then up the other hillside to where CJ and Erik are crouched around a small outcrop of rock. Next to the dead leaves of an agave was a large, flat rock, and tucked inside an opening under one edge was a small ridgenose, cocked head protruding from its brown coils. We took some in situ photographs, and then the overhanging rock was lifted up and – bonus! A second silus, smaller, and with a pale lavender wash over a light gray ground color. Our group turned up five silus that afternoon, each with a different look from the next.
