- Protected species in Arizona
- One of the rarest snakes in the state ... [Trivia ==> 9 of the 14 species of rattlesnakes in Arizona can be found in Cochise County!]
- The Desert Massasauga is a smaller rattlesnake, usually around 18 inches long at maximum
- Sandy-colored (usually tan or gray), with large, brown blotches lined close together down the middle of its back ... dark brown stripe along its cheek on both sides of the face, from the eye to the back corner of the mouth ... there is also a very narrow white line just below this dark cheek stripe
- The Desert Massasauga’s rattle is quieter and sounds more like crickets rather than the usually strong warning sound of a larger rattlesnake