This is being tagged as either a gopher or a western rattlesnake. While the picture doesn’t show it clearly, we did see a small rattle at the tip of its tail.
This is the second of two Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes we saw on our hike this evening. Spotted this guy (not the greatest photos!) in the grass beside the trail at around 8.15 pm or so.
Thank you to Lance, the herpetology expert, who pointed out this specimen to me and my girlfriend and let us see the beauty of these creatures.
Brown Diamond pattern on the back with the black and white stripes on the tail below the rattle proves it is a Northern Pacific rattlesnake. It rattled at me!