This is the smaller female Ruber found with the male. They are just pairing up for the breeding season. Rattlers are live bearers...and the babies are ready for action as soon as born.  

Don't let his calm demeanor fool you...this is one BIG red diamondback! It measures about 5 foot long. This male was found near his smaller female mate. The girth was as big around as my arm. No limit on these guys in California. Most we just photograph...but this big boy would make great steaks...and a nice belt. Hmmm...I'll have to think about it for awhile. Actually, rattlesnake is quite good battered up and fried.  

Thsi little guy is a western shrew, found in a pack rat nest. Shrews are the smallest mammals in the world. They have extremly high metabolism rates and must feed constantly. They consume about 70% of their body weight a day. It was released after being photographed.  

Here are 2 different lizards. The striped one is a granite spiny lizard. The one in the middle is a blue tailed skink. The one on the right is a western blotched lizard. All are extremely fast and difficult to catch. They were released after the photo was taken.  

Here are some of the results from a late winter herp hunting trip out in the desert of southern California last Sunday. Here you can see 4 desert banded geckos and 1 small granite night lizard. The night lizard was released. The geckos make excellant pets, however. The 2 larger ones are a mated male/female found in the same location.