Even people who handle wild snakes for a living were shocked at the “funky-looking” rattlesnake homeowners found in their backyard in Scottsdale, Arizona the other day. Instead of the trademark diamond pattern along its back, this unique western diamondback rattlesnake had what some describe as a “leopard pattern.”
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“Well, this is . . . weird,” wrote Rattlesnake Solutions, the Arizona snake-removal company called in to help relocated the venomous animal. “[This is] a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake with a big pattern mutation, called in from a backyard in Scottsdale today. In the many thousands of Diamondbacks we’ve seen over the years, this is a first.”
The story and photos blew up online, with many people chiming in asking if the snake is some sort of hybrid. Rattlesnake Solutions says they don’t think so.
“The area [the snake] was in rules out hybridization possibilities with most species . . . not that there’s anything morphologically that indicates that,” explained the company. “Of all the possibilities, it’s likely it’s just a funky-looking diamondback.”
Even people who generally don’t like snakes said this one is pretty cool looking.
“Ok . . . I would never call a rattlesnake pretty until . . . now . . . a leopard pattern!” wrote one person.
See the “funky” rattlesnake found in an Arizona backyard here:
Header stock image by Ed Reschke/Getty Images