Prairie rattlesnake sounds warning in new mexico

Photographer Javier Aznar captured a prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) sounding off in New Mexico. The snake's camouflage obscures its presence, but when a predator draws near—or in this case, a photographer—the rattle is intended to warn them off. The species is widely distributed from Canada to northern Mexico, but changes in its grasslands habitat, such as conversion into agricultural land, account for some of its population decline. Rattlesnakes are vital to controlling rodents and other animals.

National Geographic