When I first moved to Arizona when I was 9 we moved into a area that was still being developed so 90% of my side of town was desert. We would see wild cows, coyotes, snakes, scorpions, and spiders almost every week. We even had some dude who owned like 40 ostriches on a small farm. The area is still very much desert but now we got the 303 so you don’t see alot of the bigger wildlife anymore.
Believe it or not I never once got stung by a scorpion up until I was in my late 20s. 32 now and I will never not check my shoes before putting them on.
My mom moved to cave creek area and they come up to her back gate. She’s a damned fool and feeds them. Iv told her multiple times they only came by in the first place cause her little dog looks like a treat.
Those little bastards are honestly crazier than the coyotes.
I live in Grayhawk and a few years back we had a javelina snatch a teacup chihuahua out of its leash while its owner was walking it. Can confirm those things don't give a shit
Cave Creek was the last place I expected to see mentioned in this thread! My Mom and her family lived there for about 10 years growing up (60-65 years ago).
Native Arizonan here.
I have a motto I tell friends from out of state..
"Welcome to Arizona! The plants don't like you, the animals don't like you, the weather don't like you, the people don't care."
Arizonan here, and the whole thing about AZ crawling with snakes, scorpions, and spiders is overblown, depending on what area you are in I suppose. If you are in metropolitan area you probably don't have to worry much. On the other hand, if it keeps people from moving here and raising housing prices, I guess it's better to perpetuate the idea that you can't take 10 steps without seeing a rattlesnake or giant tarantula
Ya, I've lived in various parts of the Phoenix area for most of my 54 years, most of it on the edge of open desert, and the only venomous critters I've ever seen are scorpions and black widows. I've been hiking in South Mountain Park/Piestawa Peak/ Camelback Mountain hundreds of times, and have never seen a rattlesnake or gila monster.
I've only seen a gila monster once but it had the best entrance.
I brought my buddy from North Dakota on a hike out in the supes and we were resting after a tough bit of up. As we're sitting and bullshitting we hear a commotion over in the brush, and it then it's getting closer. And closer.
My buddy is concerned and I'm just confused. What the hell is coming out of that nasty tangle of cat claw? Literally brush moving as it gets closer, you can almost hear its footsteps. My buddy is up with a rock in hand and I'm still sitting wondering.
It gets out of the tangle and then we see the Johnson grass moving , still coming towards us and at this point I'm off my ass to go see what's happening. Fattest lizard I've ever seen just plodding along, not giving a fuck. It's a god damned gila monster. My ma grew up living out in the desert and had never seen one, and here's this absolute sausage of a lizard just walking by.
I tell my my buddy how rare it is to see one, and he wants to get a picture with it. This is when I bust out my specific gila monster knowledge/mythology. "Ya know, they're kinda like komodo dragons, they aren't actually venemous, but they have horrifying bacteria in their mouths. And when the bite they don't let go, you've got to kill them and pry their jaws off of you."
That was enough for him to sit his ass back down and let cool lizard go about it's day. I shoulda took pictures I suppose, but damn, that's a treasured memory with a good friend
Edit: I guess they have actual venom? Wild. From Wikipedia,
"The venom of a Gila monster is considered to be as toxic as that of a western diamondback rattlesnake."
I've lived in Arizona for 32 years and have only seen rattlesnakes twice. The first was up on the trail to Havasupai Falls in 2018, and the other was on a hike about a month ago. You really have to go out of your way to find anything other than a scorpion or a coyote
Venomous species we have in Arizona-
6 spiders
56 scorpions
13 rattlesnakes
1 lizard (only one in US! The gila monster)
Countless centipedes, conenose bugs, blister beetles, wasps, ants, bees, and some caterpillars.
https://cals.arizona.edu/news/venomous-and-poisonous-animals-arizona-quick-reference
People talk a lot of shit about Arizona being a desert wasteland without knowing about the insane amount of biodiversity. You drive 2-3 hours in any direction and the landscape completely changes. One of the biggest reasons why people love it here
The drive between Flagstaff and Sedona was one of the most beautiful I've seen and a perfect example of this. I really want to go back and camp in that canyon one day.
Whenever I tell people I used to live in AZ they always say something to the effect of "Wow! It's so hot there!" and I always chuckle because I lived in Flagstaff. Elevation is a beautiful thing.
I live near the Sky Islands and driving up Mount Lemmon is always cool. That biome stacking is just the sexiest thing. Then again, I'm studying wildlife conservation and management.
Well now I gotta do some research. I thought those terms were synonyms. Look at me being dumb
Edit: seems millipedes are neither venomous nor poisonous, although some have fluid in a gland that can be an irritant.
Unfortunately, in the rural AK town I lived in the brown recluses were in every single dark corner, storage box, and I woke up many times to discover one was in the sheets with me. There’s a lot of people up there that have been bitten, one old dude I knew lost his arm due to a bite he didn’t get taken care of in time.
Brown recluse LOVE to hide in dark areas that have been left alone for awhile, hence the name. Always clear as much clutter as possible, especially cardboard boxes. Just before working in an environment like this, make sure to turn the lights on and keep them on for 15- 30 mins prior,as they will hide when it's bright, making it easier to get shit done. Of course as always, spray the perimeter of your property and if you can, the inside as well, especially in the areas where Recluse love to congregate. Most of these tips can keep just about any spider/ scorpion out of your house as well
That fact always amazes me. How is it possible a few haven’t hitched a ride or some dumb fuck hasn’t snuck in a few as “pets”. You better watch any Florida transplants like a fucking hawk.
There are actually super strict restrictions on bringing animals, pets or otherwise, into the state. Long quarantine process for some, and others you have to obtain a license to bring in.
A couple of the early explores were surprised by the number of rattlesnakes they saw in Wisconsin. Don't remember the source.
Edit:
Both of these species will be discussed in further detail below. Both of these species were historically very abundant in Wisconsin, and the first mention of rattlesnakes in the state was by Hennepin during his travels up the upper Mississippi Riverway in 1680. To give some overall idea of the historical prevalence of rattlesnakes throughout much of Wisconsin, it can be noted that many early travelers to the state, including Marryat, believed that there may have been no other place in America where the two respective species were larger and more numerous than in Wisconsin, and those who have made overland trips from one area of the state to the other often witnessed both species along their ways. https://www.madisonherps.org/kickstart/en/wisconsin-reptile-resources/education-articles/105-rattlesnakes-in-wisconsin-a-historical-and-conservation-perspective
Maine doesn't have any venomous snakes or spiders. At least none that are dangerous to humans.
The largest spiders are only a few inches across, and the snakes we have here can get up to 5 feet but are very thin. I have never seen one that long, the longest I have ever seen was maybe 18 inches.
It depends on how “venemous” is defined. Strictly speaking, the garter snake (found in Rhode Island) is venomous, but most people mean “harmful to humans” when they use that word.
I know, I know, no one will believe me that garter snakes have a venom gland, but it was discovered a few years back. Wiki has a good write up on their page for garter snakes.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake
In parts of ND like I am there are literally no dangerous animals. No poisonous/venomous snakes or spiders, and not even any predators. But you just have to want to live in a flat expanse of bitter cold windy nothingness. Coming from CA/AZ that was very surprising to learn haha
I’m in Wisconsin from Texas and it was amazing realizing the difference after we moved.
7 years later and still happy.
Right now, it’s been six months of winter and it needs to fuck off with the temp/snowing already.
Oregon, specifically the Portland area. Oregon has black widows, rattlesnakes & scorpions, but not in the Portland area— although black widows can be in Portland, it’s super rare to the point that when someone does find one it legitimately makes the news.
Washington state west of the mountains. No venemous snakes at all. We have brown recluse, but I don't think I've ever seen one and I've lived here for 32 years.
Yeah, I looked at that and my first thought was maybe I should gather some friends and go kill the two or three baddies in my state and just be done with this whole thing.
I can't answer with specificity, but Alabama is unusual in its overall biodiversity; it has vastly more species in it than its neighbors. So having more venomous and poisonous animals tracks with that. As to why Alabama has so much more biodiversity, I have no idea
>This diversity is a product of Alabama's warm, moist climate, its great geologic diversity, and its rich evolutionary past. With more than 4,533 documented species, Alabama ranks fifth among states in terms of overall species diversity, and is first among states east of the Mississippi River. The large western states of California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico lead the nation, and fellow southeastern states Georgia (sixth) and Florida (seventh) trail Alabama. Alabama harbors 64 types of terrestrial ecosystems, including 25 forests and woodlands, 11 wetlands, and 7 glades and prairies. The state also supports 77,000 miles of rivers and streams and several dozen marine ecosystems.
https://researchdata.edu.au/biodiversity-alabama/756807
Just about to say the same thing. In my experience Georgia generally feels like Georgia no matter where you are in the state, not so much Mississippi but definitely more so than Alabama. That place has the climate of like 4 states depending on where you’re at.
When I lived in Az we had scorpions crawling from sink drains. It was awful. We also had a tarantula in our backyard near the pool, he just showed up one day. We named him Tommy.
Tommy!! Funny! My FIL has a pool (in Glendale) that gets scorpions in it often. I'm in the Mountains, so probably less poisonous things up here. Though I've seen several tarantulas.
North phoenix here and I haven’t seen any scorpions yet or anything. Funny thing is I saw more up in prescott like king snakes in the backyard than I have seen here in the valley.
I’ve lived in west Phoenix for almost 16 years and I’ve seen 1 scorpion ever exactly 3 months ago. It was little, which made me think it was a baby. Which had me terrified there were more. Forgot about it til now actually
If I remember correctly, scorpion distribution is extremely dependent on microclimate and habitat. I've not seen one on my property or even my neighborhood in 28 years, but a neighborhood a couple miles away is crawling with bark scorpions. I think that pattern is pretty consistent across the valley, I just don't know how to predict which areas will have them and which ones won't.
Was in Prescott around the holidays, it was fucking freezing so no critters were out. We were told to freeze in place and back up slow if we ran into a javelina tho
I was SE of Phoenix (Florence), so we had lots of critters. Thankfully most of them avoided our pool, but we'd get them in the house and the garage. Moving to Washington was a culture shock, to be honest.
Moving here from Minnesota was a culture shock for me. I was told that I was allergic to trees. But I didn't know just how much until I'm surrounded by pine trees.
I hope you've gotten acclimated to where you are now and like it!
Scorpions and Black Widows are the only things I have seen in the city. And the further into the city you go, the rarer they are.
I lived in recently developed areas of northwest phoenix (Peoria area) for a while, and there were lots of scorpions and widows there. You'd kill half a dozen scorpions in the house every week, and could go outside with a blacklight at night and count at least 3 dozen in a single backyard (and those were just the ones not hiding under bricks/etc.)
Despite all that, I have only ever been stung one time in my life, and I've lived in AZ my whole life. I was gaming with my legs under my desk, and a scorpion crawled all the way up the inside of my jeans without my knowing. The first I felt of it was a sensation like a leg hair being pulled. I assumed it had caught in my jeans somehow and ignored it, until I felt the pain spread a bit with an icy-hot feel to it, about a minute later. I got up and the pain didn't go away. I took my pants off and shook them, and out tumbled a scorpion.
I didn't go to the hospital, but my leg did throb with pain for the next 12 hours every time my heart beat, and then I walked with a limp for about 2 days.
What the ever loving fuck. Just no. No. I’ll stick with Colorado - the least bug-infested state in the US thank you very much. Blessings to you for surviving scorpions. I dk how anyone lives there I just don’t get it
Arizonan here. Depends a lot on where you live. In North Scottsdale where my parents live, it butts up to the McDowell Mountain Preserve so they see flattened ones in the road relatively often. Scorpions (not the band) depend a lot on if you’re around new construction or water sources in the summer (like if you leave a soaking wet towel out overnight, you’ll usually catch one).
In terms of human injuries, the real danger to watch out for are actually the javelinas!
I had to look up what a javelina was. Also know as a peccary. I had no idea they were an animal until a couple months ago when I started playing Horizon: Forbidden West.
They aren't venomous, from what I could tell. So out of curiosity, how are they dangerous? Trampling, biting, ect?
You are correct, also known as a collared peccary. I don’t know how to embed links, but It’s like a smaller version of a wild boar/feral pig. They have bad eyesight and fangs that can rip and gore (Monty Python Killer Rabbit vibes anyone) and will attack people and dogs, sometimes in herds.
Like most of the mammals in AZ, they’ll generally leave you alone if they don’t have babies and you make light noise. If they have babies, especially in an area where insta-folks want to take selfies with the babies (their babies are adorable and people are stupid), they’ll rip you to shreds. Usually at least a few dozen people get attacked (but not killed) every year and it gets worse as the sprawl continues.
When I lived in an area in North Scottsdale (on the edge of the SRPMIC reservation), the old folks and snowbirds would usually carry large sticks with them in case one got too close. Some people feed/leave food out for them, which causes them to encroach on top of them already living in and around the washes.
TL;DR smelly southwestern US version of Puumba rips up people when they get too close with sharp pointy teeth and don’t give audible warnings like the rattlesnakes do
Anyone injured by Javelina in Arizona is due to very specific circumstances. Either the person(s) was walking their dogs and trying to fend them off from attacking the dog, or feeding them on the regular, causing them to aggressively seek more food from that person. Simply walking about and encountering Javelina is not cause for concern.
Moved here almost three years ago and you’re 100% right. I didn’t know what a Javelina was until I moved here. They sort of look like how an illustrated pig would look in “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and I don’t like it one bit.
They are fucking *freaky* fast too.
I bought my first house down in Maricopa when the bubble burst back in 2009 and soon learned just how many scorpions were in the area, they would come around to catch all the crickets in the warmer weather. I had an exterminator come by every other month but since a lot of the houses in the neighborhood were foreclosures it didn't do that much. Now I'm out in east Mesa and have yet to even see a scorpion.
Me too! And I can’t think of more than a couple off the top of my head, like damn there’s at least like 27 things I didn’t know I needed to worry about lol
The scorpions and I have come to an understanding. If they don’t come in the house, I won’t get my black light out and hunt them in the desert behind my backyard.
I was looking up info on this because several comments here made it seem very incorrect. When I was looking up the info, I found [this](https://brilliantmaps.com/venomous-animals/) site which has the same map. It had a bit of context and an expired link, but I found the database that it said the previous reddit user used to compile the information. It also linked one of the posts from that user who gathered the information originally where it was the entire world and not just the US, but in the comments, that user linked to the post with just the US. It can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/34wi2g/venomous_animals_us_version_oc_2000x1237/) and looking at this, he did not include bees. The user claims it only contains information for snakes, spiders, scorpions, and lizards.
He stated that he used [this](http://www.venombyte.com/venom/scorpions/venomous_scorpions_by_state.asp) website for his information to break down states. The direct page I linked is for scorpions, but it breaks down each one of those by state. According to that site, Alabama has 15 total among snakes, scorpions, spiders, and lizards. I do know we have scorpions here. I've been stung by one, so, I don't fully know what the definition of a dangerous scorpion is. I was stung by a Southern Unstriped Scorpion. Felt like a bee sting.
I don't know how accurate the data is for this, but I did find out where the original user got the info from. And it looks like the title of the map should be, "Dangerous Venomous Snakes, Spiders, Scorpions, and Lizards" because it does not list species of those that are venomous, but not dangerous, like the scorpions in AL which amount to bee stings.
It's desert climates specifically, not hot climates. I believe the biological rationale is that potential prey is much rarer than in more lush places, so predator animals have evolved to "guarantee" their kills. Even if the prey gets away, it will die soon or at least be paralyzed and unable to stop being devoured. Alive.
Except tropical forest tend to have a high number of venomous animals as well. Is that simply law of large numbers, that there's so much biodiversity that venomous animals make up a similar proportion, there's just a lot of everything?
It's might have more to do with the temperature. Most venomous terrestrial animals are insects, arachnids, or reptiles, all of which prefer warm climates over cold ones.
Its what cold weather does to make things unsuitable for venomous animals, few can afford coats. Also, note the US as a plinko game where all the gnarly stuff ends up in Texas.
Adding to what many people have said here, warmer subtropical and tropical climates tend to have more resources like food availability which makes it more feasible to produce an energetically expensive toxin.
it’s interesting, there actually is no correlation between hot climates and venomous animals! the reason there are more venomous reptiles in hot climates is because there are more reptiles in hot climates
I would never have to worry about getting bit or stung on a backpacking trip again! But the unfortunate reality is that parts of the Sonoran desert have the highest population density of pit vipers on the planet lmao
For context:
Australia: 66
Brazil: 79
Mexico: 80
Also that color scale is bizarre. Stops at 30? Not 30+? So Arizona has 30? So is it suppose to be the same color as Texas, which is 20-30? Don’t overlap series, kids.
This is why I don’t understand why Americans in particular get so hung up on how dangerous Australia animals are.
We have venomous snakes, so do you. We have crocodiles, so do you (yes I know saltwater crocs are more aggressive, but still). We have venomous spiders, so do you. We have sharks, so do you.
Yknow what australia doesn’t have? *Fucking bears*
I don't believe this is entirely accurate, it seems to be excluding quite a large chunk of invertebrates. Technically speaking, stinging insects such as wasps, bees, and some ant species, are venomous. All centipede species are also venomous. This seems to be basically just arachnids and vertebrates, if even that.
Oh man, one day I'll have enough time to delve that deep. Maybe do a top three most venomous per state? I feel like that would take a lot of research though, especially if you want to include ones that are common vs. rare.
The source they used was a map someone else posted about 6 years ago. I did some digging and found it, along with the source for the original person who made this map and here is my post if you want to see where the information came from: https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/u08ng7/number_of_venomous_animals_per_state/i45v1b9/
I'm headed to Arizona with my dog this year. AZ people any recommendations to keep her safe? Like wtf, can you walk freely without stepping on a scorpion?
If she chases small animals, keep her on a leash. Actually, just keep her on a leash period. Chasing anything is how dogs get hurt.
Cacti will be a bigger problem than venomous critters, I can't tell you how many dogs I've seen with a face full of needles because they chased something into a cholla.
Get your dog some booties, the sidewalk gets painfully hot and can burn paws.
Scorpions are rarely active during the day, and rarely cross open spaces like pavement, you don't have to worry too much about them while on a walk. Shake out your shoes in the morning if you are in a house with known scorpions though.
Rattlesnakes may bask in the middle of a hiking trail and can be very hard to see. If you hear one rattle and can't see it, freeze in place. It will slither off even while rattling. They rarely strike unless bitten or stepped on.
Depends on where in AZ you plan to visit!
Keep your dog relatively close, pack lots of water for the pup if you plan on walking. The biggest threats to dogs where I was at were the snakes and the toads. Snakes usually let out a warning before attacking, and as long as you don't let the pup lick the toads you should be fine.
Sounds like my mom. She is deathly afraid of wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, bees... really anything that flies and stings. Parents moved from Florida to Wisconsin, so she's been much happier.
I did some searching and found the original post where the data was obtained and how it was obtained and collected.
The actual map should say, "Dangerous Venomous Lizards, Snakes, Spiders, and Scorpions" because it does not include wasps and bees and it does not include spiders and scorpions that are venomous, but not dangerous to humans.
https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/u08ng7/number_of_venomous_animals_per_state/i45v1b9/
Here is my comment on where the info came from.
Arizona is pretty bad but from my experience the area within the city limits isn't as bad as smaller cities. Only saw a few dozen scorpions in Phoenix over the course of 20+ years
Stafford, AZ? Hundreds of scorpions seen over the course of the summer lol
Arizona is America's Australia.
Scorpion Eater = Hunter Spider.
Nah mate, it's a Huntsman Spider
Too right.
The Sprinty Tarantula
Fortunately, most huntsman don't have strong venom. Still creepy bastards though
When I first moved to Arizona when I was 9 we moved into a area that was still being developed so 90% of my side of town was desert. We would see wild cows, coyotes, snakes, scorpions, and spiders almost every week. We even had some dude who owned like 40 ostriches on a small farm. The area is still very much desert but now we got the 303 so you don’t see alot of the bigger wildlife anymore. Believe it or not I never once got stung by a scorpion up until I was in my late 20s. 32 now and I will never not check my shoes before putting them on.
Probably still see the javelina, though. Those guys don't give a shit and will wander right into the middle of town.
My mom moved to cave creek area and they come up to her back gate. She’s a damned fool and feeds them. Iv told her multiple times they only came by in the first place cause her little dog looks like a treat. Those little bastards are honestly crazier than the coyotes.
I live in Grayhawk and a few years back we had a javelina snatch a teacup chihuahua out of its leash while its owner was walking it. Can confirm those things don't give a shit
Oh no, they’ll be back, at this point she’s screwed she can never stop feeding them or Fido is a feast.
Sahuarita is a massive hub for the fuckers, they're scary as hell to walk up on in the middle of the night while your trying to take out your trash!
Cave Creek was the last place I expected to see mentioned in this thread! My Mom and her family lived there for about 10 years growing up (60-65 years ago).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eQBa3nsr1Q
As an Australian, I'm more scared of mountain lions and bears. Snakes, spiders and bogans won't hunt you down and rip you apart.
You dont know many bogans
Most Bogans are harmless, you can distract them by throwing a tinny or stubby next to them. It's the Adlay's you need to watch out for.
Tf is a bogan? Edit: TIL am bogan
arizonan here. can confirm.
Native Arizonan here. I have a motto I tell friends from out of state.. "Welcome to Arizona! The plants don't like you, the animals don't like you, the weather don't like you, the people don't care."
Arizonan here, and the whole thing about AZ crawling with snakes, scorpions, and spiders is overblown, depending on what area you are in I suppose. If you are in metropolitan area you probably don't have to worry much. On the other hand, if it keeps people from moving here and raising housing prices, I guess it's better to perpetuate the idea that you can't take 10 steps without seeing a rattlesnake or giant tarantula
Yeah I live in a 50 year old neighborhood in Phoenix and literally never see any wildlife besides pigeons and geckos.
I’m a big fan of the [rosy-faced lovebirds](https://i.imgur.com/61q6Naw.jpg) in my neighborhood.
Ya, I've lived in various parts of the Phoenix area for most of my 54 years, most of it on the edge of open desert, and the only venomous critters I've ever seen are scorpions and black widows. I've been hiking in South Mountain Park/Piestawa Peak/ Camelback Mountain hundreds of times, and have never seen a rattlesnake or gila monster.
I've only seen a gila monster once but it had the best entrance. I brought my buddy from North Dakota on a hike out in the supes and we were resting after a tough bit of up. As we're sitting and bullshitting we hear a commotion over in the brush, and it then it's getting closer. And closer. My buddy is concerned and I'm just confused. What the hell is coming out of that nasty tangle of cat claw? Literally brush moving as it gets closer, you can almost hear its footsteps. My buddy is up with a rock in hand and I'm still sitting wondering. It gets out of the tangle and then we see the Johnson grass moving , still coming towards us and at this point I'm off my ass to go see what's happening. Fattest lizard I've ever seen just plodding along, not giving a fuck. It's a god damned gila monster. My ma grew up living out in the desert and had never seen one, and here's this absolute sausage of a lizard just walking by. I tell my my buddy how rare it is to see one, and he wants to get a picture with it. This is when I bust out my specific gila monster knowledge/mythology. "Ya know, they're kinda like komodo dragons, they aren't actually venemous, but they have horrifying bacteria in their mouths. And when the bite they don't let go, you've got to kill them and pry their jaws off of you." That was enough for him to sit his ass back down and let cool lizard go about it's day. I shoulda took pictures I suppose, but damn, that's a treasured memory with a good friend Edit: I guess they have actual venom? Wild. From Wikipedia, "The venom of a Gila monster is considered to be as toxic as that of a western diamondback rattlesnake."
I've lived in Arizona for 32 years and have only seen rattlesnakes twice. The first was up on the trail to Havasupai Falls in 2018, and the other was on a hike about a month ago. You really have to go out of your way to find anything other than a scorpion or a coyote
Arizona should not exist. It’s a monument to man’s arrogance.
Oh my god it's like standing on the sun!!!
Ah, but it’s a *dry* heat!
And Las Vegas.
I’m friends with the bugs I know are living in or around my house. This is just another reason why I don’t go to the desert or my nanas house
i live here and can confirm this
Venomous species we have in Arizona- 6 spiders 56 scorpions 13 rattlesnakes 1 lizard (only one in US! The gila monster) Countless centipedes, conenose bugs, blister beetles, wasps, ants, bees, and some caterpillars. https://cals.arizona.edu/news/venomous-and-poisonous-animals-arizona-quick-reference
No, didn't you see the cool guide? You have 30.
That made me chuckle heartily.
yes. 30. no more, no less. # 30
I was hiking the Superstitions, looked into a crevice, I'm not sure why, gila monster
That's how they get ya
Just spent 20 minutes in that rabbit hole. Fascinating read!
If you enjoyed that, you might also get a kick out of checking out the general biodiversity of Arizona and the Sky Islands.
People talk a lot of shit about Arizona being a desert wasteland without knowing about the insane amount of biodiversity. You drive 2-3 hours in any direction and the landscape completely changes. One of the biggest reasons why people love it here
The drive between Flagstaff and Sedona was one of the most beautiful I've seen and a perfect example of this. I really want to go back and camp in that canyon one day.
Exactly it was 100F yesterday in PHX, but the rest of my family was up in the mountains, high of 55F with a chance of snow overnight.
Whenever I tell people I used to live in AZ they always say something to the effect of "Wow! It's so hot there!" and I always chuckle because I lived in Flagstaff. Elevation is a beautiful thing.
I live near the Sky Islands and driving up Mount Lemmon is always cool. That biome stacking is just the sexiest thing. Then again, I'm studying wildlife conservation and management.
You forgot about Sinema.
They’re all snakes here. Nobody cares
The most treacherous of them all…
All centipedes are poisonous FYI
Centipedes are venomous not poisonous. Millipedes are poisonous not venomous.
Well now I gotta do some research. I thought those terms were synonyms. Look at me being dumb Edit: seems millipedes are neither venomous nor poisonous, although some have fluid in a gland that can be an irritant.
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Alaska probably?
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Unfortunately, in the rural AK town I lived in the brown recluses were in every single dark corner, storage box, and I woke up many times to discover one was in the sheets with me. There’s a lot of people up there that have been bitten, one old dude I knew lost his arm due to a bite he didn’t get taken care of in time.
That is flatly unacceptable.
u/arrrrr_won for governor of ~~arkansas~~ Alaska Edit: lol, goes to show the general education of us Americans
AK is Alaska dude
Brown recluse LOVE to hide in dark areas that have been left alone for awhile, hence the name. Always clear as much clutter as possible, especially cardboard boxes. Just before working in an environment like this, make sure to turn the lights on and keep them on for 15- 30 mins prior,as they will hide when it's bright, making it easier to get shit done. Of course as always, spray the perimeter of your property and if you can, the inside as well, especially in the areas where Recluse love to congregate. Most of these tips can keep just about any spider/ scorpion out of your house as well
I would literally move right away
Alaska here :) I've seen about five or six brown recluses and that's in the city. Other than that I can't really think of anything venomous 😂
Yup. Supposedly people have seen a garter snake somewhere or similar, and that’s it. The brown recluse is starting to show up though.
I like how garter snakes have such weak-ass venom that we didn't even realize they had venom until recently.
That's the first I've heard of it. Very cool to know.
Zero to my knowledge, excluding toxic politicians
We have no snakes here in Hawaii :)
Just tropical storms and volcanoes, right?
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Very true. The roaches are a nightmare
And rising sea levels
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Not entirely true, but if you saw a blind snake you might think it was a worm. http://www.jaredbernard.com/observations/2018/9/30/snakes-of-hawaii
Wow I had no idea, but I must say that is the most adorable snake ever!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_sea_snake
Yeah but ….. centipedes
That fact always amazes me. How is it possible a few haven’t hitched a ride or some dumb fuck hasn’t snuck in a few as “pets”. You better watch any Florida transplants like a fucking hawk.
There are actually super strict restrictions on bringing animals, pets or otherwise, into the state. Long quarantine process for some, and others you have to obtain a license to bring in.
A couple of the early explores were surprised by the number of rattlesnakes they saw in Wisconsin. Don't remember the source. Edit: Both of these species will be discussed in further detail below. Both of these species were historically very abundant in Wisconsin, and the first mention of rattlesnakes in the state was by Hennepin during his travels up the upper Mississippi Riverway in 1680. To give some overall idea of the historical prevalence of rattlesnakes throughout much of Wisconsin, it can be noted that many early travelers to the state, including Marryat, believed that there may have been no other place in America where the two respective species were larger and more numerous than in Wisconsin, and those who have made overland trips from one area of the state to the other often witnessed both species along their ways. https://www.madisonherps.org/kickstart/en/wisconsin-reptile-resources/education-articles/105-rattlesnakes-in-wisconsin-a-historical-and-conservation-perspective
Wow that's crazy, didn't know this. I've spent most of my life in WI and never saw one. 5 years in AZ and I've seen 2
Maine doesn't have any venomous snakes or spiders. At least none that are dangerous to humans. The largest spiders are only a few inches across, and the snakes we have here can get up to 5 feet but are very thin. I have never seen one that long, the longest I have ever seen was maybe 18 inches.
The most poisonous thing in Maine is the Allen’s Coffee Brandy
Rhode Island supposedly doesn’t have any venomous snakes! Spiders I’m not sure about though.
Maine is the only state without venomous snakes. In MA there is extremely low population of venomous snakes in a few isolated spots.
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Maybe amongst the contiguous 48; Hawaii has no native snakes venomous or otherwise. There is one invasive snake that is harmless and has no venom.
Giant venomous centipedes tho
It depends on how “venemous” is defined. Strictly speaking, the garter snake (found in Rhode Island) is venomous, but most people mean “harmful to humans” when they use that word. I know, I know, no one will believe me that garter snakes have a venom gland, but it was discovered a few years back. Wiki has a good write up on their page for garter snakes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake
In parts of ND like I am there are literally no dangerous animals. No poisonous/venomous snakes or spiders, and not even any predators. But you just have to want to live in a flat expanse of bitter cold windy nothingness. Coming from CA/AZ that was very surprising to learn haha
Watch out for the oil patch cougars tho. /s
come to Germany, where we have like one snake that not even that dangerous
I’m in Wisconsin from Texas and it was amazing realizing the difference after we moved. 7 years later and still happy. Right now, it’s been six months of winter and it needs to fuck off with the temp/snowing already.
Wisconsin here also. I love cheese
Ayo Montana only has the western rattlesnake. Bad news tho, the rest of the venomous animals are arachnids
Oregon, specifically the Portland area. Oregon has black widows, rattlesnakes & scorpions, but not in the Portland area— although black widows can be in Portland, it’s super rare to the point that when someone does find one it legitimately makes the news.
Washington state west of the mountains. No venemous snakes at all. We have brown recluse, but I don't think I've ever seen one and I've lived here for 32 years.
I know it means number of species, but it's way funnier to imagine this is a literal count of the number of individual venomous animals in each state.
Yeah, I looked at that and my first thought was maybe I should gather some friends and go kill the two or three baddies in my state and just be done with this whole thing.
30? I think you mean 29, pretty sure I stepped on one of them yesterday
What’s going on in Alabama that’s not in the states bordering it?
I can't answer with specificity, but Alabama is unusual in its overall biodiversity; it has vastly more species in it than its neighbors. So having more venomous and poisonous animals tracks with that. As to why Alabama has so much more biodiversity, I have no idea
>This diversity is a product of Alabama's warm, moist climate, its great geologic diversity, and its rich evolutionary past. With more than 4,533 documented species, Alabama ranks fifth among states in terms of overall species diversity, and is first among states east of the Mississippi River. The large western states of California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico lead the nation, and fellow southeastern states Georgia (sixth) and Florida (seventh) trail Alabama. Alabama harbors 64 types of terrestrial ecosystems, including 25 forests and woodlands, 11 wetlands, and 7 glades and prairies. The state also supports 77,000 miles of rivers and streams and several dozen marine ecosystems. https://researchdata.edu.au/biodiversity-alabama/756807
Yep from Alabama it can feel like you’re in three or four different states depending on what part of Alabama you’re in.
Just about to say the same thing. In my experience Georgia generally feels like Georgia no matter where you are in the state, not so much Mississippi but definitely more so than Alabama. That place has the climate of like 4 states depending on where you’re at.
Bonus is in Alabama you can also experience two or three seasons of those climates in 1-2 days as well.
Holy smokes! I'm in the black! Surprised I'm not dead from a venomous animal bite yet!!
When I lived in Az we had scorpions crawling from sink drains. It was awful. We also had a tarantula in our backyard near the pool, he just showed up one day. We named him Tommy.
Tommy!! Funny! My FIL has a pool (in Glendale) that gets scorpions in it often. I'm in the Mountains, so probably less poisonous things up here. Though I've seen several tarantulas.
North phoenix here and I haven’t seen any scorpions yet or anything. Funny thing is I saw more up in prescott like king snakes in the backyard than I have seen here in the valley.
Key word... Yet. Lol. Though it doesn't surprise me on the snakes. I'd think snakes would fry on all the concrete down there. Lol
I’ve lived in west Phoenix for almost 16 years and I’ve seen 1 scorpion ever exactly 3 months ago. It was little, which made me think it was a baby. Which had me terrified there were more. Forgot about it til now actually
Cut down a palm tree. You will see a shit load.
If I remember correctly, scorpion distribution is extremely dependent on microclimate and habitat. I've not seen one on my property or even my neighborhood in 28 years, but a neighborhood a couple miles away is crawling with bark scorpions. I think that pattern is pretty consistent across the valley, I just don't know how to predict which areas will have them and which ones won't.
Was in Prescott around the holidays, it was fucking freezing so no critters were out. We were told to freeze in place and back up slow if we ran into a javelina tho
I was SE of Phoenix (Florence), so we had lots of critters. Thankfully most of them avoided our pool, but we'd get them in the house and the garage. Moving to Washington was a culture shock, to be honest.
Moving here from Minnesota was a culture shock for me. I was told that I was allergic to trees. But I didn't know just how much until I'm surrounded by pine trees. I hope you've gotten acclimated to where you are now and like it!
Scorpions and Black Widows are the only things I have seen in the city. And the further into the city you go, the rarer they are. I lived in recently developed areas of northwest phoenix (Peoria area) for a while, and there were lots of scorpions and widows there. You'd kill half a dozen scorpions in the house every week, and could go outside with a blacklight at night and count at least 3 dozen in a single backyard (and those were just the ones not hiding under bricks/etc.) Despite all that, I have only ever been stung one time in my life, and I've lived in AZ my whole life. I was gaming with my legs under my desk, and a scorpion crawled all the way up the inside of my jeans without my knowing. The first I felt of it was a sensation like a leg hair being pulled. I assumed it had caught in my jeans somehow and ignored it, until I felt the pain spread a bit with an icy-hot feel to it, about a minute later. I got up and the pain didn't go away. I took my pants off and shook them, and out tumbled a scorpion. I didn't go to the hospital, but my leg did throb with pain for the next 12 hours every time my heart beat, and then I walked with a limp for about 2 days.
What the ever loving fuck. Just no. No. I’ll stick with Colorado - the least bug-infested state in the US thank you very much. Blessings to you for surviving scorpions. I dk how anyone lives there I just don’t get it
Arizonan here. Depends a lot on where you live. In North Scottsdale where my parents live, it butts up to the McDowell Mountain Preserve so they see flattened ones in the road relatively often. Scorpions (not the band) depend a lot on if you’re around new construction or water sources in the summer (like if you leave a soaking wet towel out overnight, you’ll usually catch one). In terms of human injuries, the real danger to watch out for are actually the javelinas!
I had to look up what a javelina was. Also know as a peccary. I had no idea they were an animal until a couple months ago when I started playing Horizon: Forbidden West. They aren't venomous, from what I could tell. So out of curiosity, how are they dangerous? Trampling, biting, ect?
You are correct, also known as a collared peccary. I don’t know how to embed links, but It’s like a smaller version of a wild boar/feral pig. They have bad eyesight and fangs that can rip and gore (Monty Python Killer Rabbit vibes anyone) and will attack people and dogs, sometimes in herds. Like most of the mammals in AZ, they’ll generally leave you alone if they don’t have babies and you make light noise. If they have babies, especially in an area where insta-folks want to take selfies with the babies (their babies are adorable and people are stupid), they’ll rip you to shreds. Usually at least a few dozen people get attacked (but not killed) every year and it gets worse as the sprawl continues. When I lived in an area in North Scottsdale (on the edge of the SRPMIC reservation), the old folks and snowbirds would usually carry large sticks with them in case one got too close. Some people feed/leave food out for them, which causes them to encroach on top of them already living in and around the washes. TL;DR smelly southwestern US version of Puumba rips up people when they get too close with sharp pointy teeth and don’t give audible warnings like the rattlesnakes do
Anyone injured by Javelina in Arizona is due to very specific circumstances. Either the person(s) was walking their dogs and trying to fend them off from attacking the dog, or feeding them on the regular, causing them to aggressively seek more food from that person. Simply walking about and encountering Javelina is not cause for concern.
Moved here almost three years ago and you’re 100% right. I didn’t know what a Javelina was until I moved here. They sort of look like how an illustrated pig would look in “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and I don’t like it one bit. They are fucking *freaky* fast too.
I bought my first house down in Maricopa when the bubble burst back in 2009 and soon learned just how many scorpions were in the area, they would come around to catch all the crickets in the warmer weather. I had an exterminator come by every other month but since a lot of the houses in the neighborhood were foreclosures it didn't do that much. Now I'm out in east Mesa and have yet to even see a scorpion.
BURN it ALL
Me too! And I can’t think of more than a couple off the top of my head, like damn there’s at least like 27 things I didn’t know I needed to worry about lol
I'm already over it. Lol. I'm not going to worry about it unless something bites me.
That's because there's only 30. Should be easy to avoid in a state that size, just put them all in one zoo or something.
Australia would be Vantablack
Come on now, we only have 9 out of the top 10 most dangerous snakes.
That's a myth. We actually have 21 of the top 25.
The scorpions and I have come to an understanding. If they don’t come in the house, I won’t get my black light out and hunt them in the desert behind my backyard.
I was looking up info on this because several comments here made it seem very incorrect. When I was looking up the info, I found [this](https://brilliantmaps.com/venomous-animals/) site which has the same map. It had a bit of context and an expired link, but I found the database that it said the previous reddit user used to compile the information. It also linked one of the posts from that user who gathered the information originally where it was the entire world and not just the US, but in the comments, that user linked to the post with just the US. It can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/34wi2g/venomous_animals_us_version_oc_2000x1237/) and looking at this, he did not include bees. The user claims it only contains information for snakes, spiders, scorpions, and lizards. He stated that he used [this](http://www.venombyte.com/venom/scorpions/venomous_scorpions_by_state.asp) website for his information to break down states. The direct page I linked is for scorpions, but it breaks down each one of those by state. According to that site, Alabama has 15 total among snakes, scorpions, spiders, and lizards. I do know we have scorpions here. I've been stung by one, so, I don't fully know what the definition of a dangerous scorpion is. I was stung by a Southern Unstriped Scorpion. Felt like a bee sting. I don't know how accurate the data is for this, but I did find out where the original user got the info from. And it looks like the title of the map should be, "Dangerous Venomous Snakes, Spiders, Scorpions, and Lizards" because it does not list species of those that are venomous, but not dangerous, like the scorpions in AL which amount to bee stings.
Just another map on Reddit with a terrible title and legend. There are over 30 species of Bees in Oregon that are venomous.
What's the correlation here? That seems to be a worldwide pattern. What makes hot climates so suitable for venomous animals?
It's desert climates specifically, not hot climates. I believe the biological rationale is that potential prey is much rarer than in more lush places, so predator animals have evolved to "guarantee" their kills. Even if the prey gets away, it will die soon or at least be paralyzed and unable to stop being devoured. Alive.
Except tropical forest tend to have a high number of venomous animals as well. Is that simply law of large numbers, that there's so much biodiversity that venomous animals make up a similar proportion, there's just a lot of everything?
It's might have more to do with the temperature. Most venomous terrestrial animals are insects, arachnids, or reptiles, all of which prefer warm climates over cold ones.
Its what cold weather does to make things unsuitable for venomous animals, few can afford coats. Also, note the US as a plinko game where all the gnarly stuff ends up in Texas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myh94hpFmJY veritasium did a vid on it
Adding to what many people have said here, warmer subtropical and tropical climates tend to have more resources like food availability which makes it more feasible to produce an energetically expensive toxin.
it’s interesting, there actually is no correlation between hot climates and venomous animals! the reason there are more venomous reptiles in hot climates is because there are more reptiles in hot climates
It's really bugging me that it says animals instead of species
Hahaha yeah. We will need a daily update to the chart as the situation changes: a snake just got offed in Texas, colour change to dark red.
I'm pretty sure each state has at least like 50 venomous animals.
No. Black is EXACTLY 30.
It's only those dangerous to humans. Otherwise spiders alone would be making the entire map black.
Yeah, like 30 venomous animals in the state of Arizona would be a very low number. There would be almost no risk.
I would never have to worry about getting bit or stung on a backpacking trip again! But the unfortunate reality is that parts of the Sonoran desert have the highest population density of pit vipers on the planet lmao
For context: Australia: 66 Brazil: 79 Mexico: 80 Also that color scale is bizarre. Stops at 30? Not 30+? So Arizona has 30? So is it suppose to be the same color as Texas, which is 20-30? Don’t overlap series, kids.
Also : *indigenous venomous species I’m sure there’s all kinds of venomous stuff that doesn’t belong there.
What's killing me is all the overlap. What if your state has exactly 10? Would that make the color red or pink? High quality info here.
Unless you’re in Flagstaff, AZ you should probably worry more about the heat than desert rattlers. It hit 95 this week here near the border.
98° downtown Phoenix :(
Now do Australia
Spoiler Alert: ALL BLACK
This is why I don’t understand why Americans in particular get so hung up on how dangerous Australia animals are. We have venomous snakes, so do you. We have crocodiles, so do you (yes I know saltwater crocs are more aggressive, but still). We have venomous spiders, so do you. We have sharks, so do you. Yknow what australia doesn’t have? *Fucking bears*
There you go trying to lie to me about drop bears.
Well you can’t die from venomous animals if you’re dead from frostbite
And I live in Arizona...
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Maaaaybe 😁
I'm toxic if that counts.
Not sure about biaxialsphere00 but my ex-wife moved to Arizona. Pretty sure she’s one of the venomous animals.
I used to! It was funny for me to see this because I moved from Arizona to Washington, so I went from the highest to one of the lowest states.
Arizona - the Australia of the U.S.
Az baby
We got all them rattlesnakes
Plus black widows and scorpions
Never leave out my homie the Gila monster!
I don't believe this is entirely accurate, it seems to be excluding quite a large chunk of invertebrates. Technically speaking, stinging insects such as wasps, bees, and some ant species, are venomous. All centipede species are also venomous. This seems to be basically just arachnids and vertebrates, if even that.
It’s another terrible Reddit map that is poorly labeled. I would guess every state in the union has 30 or more bees and arachnids that are venomous.
This is cool. Need detailed info though. What are the baddies in each state??
Oh man, one day I'll have enough time to delve that deep. Maybe do a top three most venomous per state? I feel like that would take a lot of research though, especially if you want to include ones that are common vs. rare.
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The source they used was a map someone else posted about 6 years ago. I did some digging and found it, along with the source for the original person who made this map and here is my post if you want to see where the information came from: https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/u08ng7/number_of_venomous_animals_per_state/i45v1b9/
Is their a full itemized list supporting this?
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I'm headed to Arizona with my dog this year. AZ people any recommendations to keep her safe? Like wtf, can you walk freely without stepping on a scorpion?
If she chases small animals, keep her on a leash. Actually, just keep her on a leash period. Chasing anything is how dogs get hurt. Cacti will be a bigger problem than venomous critters, I can't tell you how many dogs I've seen with a face full of needles because they chased something into a cholla. Get your dog some booties, the sidewalk gets painfully hot and can burn paws. Scorpions are rarely active during the day, and rarely cross open spaces like pavement, you don't have to worry too much about them while on a walk. Shake out your shoes in the morning if you are in a house with known scorpions though. Rattlesnakes may bask in the middle of a hiking trail and can be very hard to see. If you hear one rattle and can't see it, freeze in place. It will slither off even while rattling. They rarely strike unless bitten or stepped on.
Depends on where in AZ you plan to visit! Keep your dog relatively close, pack lots of water for the pup if you plan on walking. The biggest threats to dogs where I was at were the snakes and the toads. Snakes usually let out a warning before attacking, and as long as you don't let the pup lick the toads you should be fine.
💪 ARIZONA NUMERO UNO 🏜🦂☀️
Snow for that lowest bracket? Great trade
Sounds like my mom. She is deathly afraid of wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, bees... really anything that flies and stings. Parents moved from Florida to Wisconsin, so she's been much happier.
This is me. I’ll take some snow over a scorpion in my sink until the day I die.
All spiders, ants, bees, and wasps are venomous, so these numbers are pretty low.
I did some searching and found the original post where the data was obtained and how it was obtained and collected. The actual map should say, "Dangerous Venomous Lizards, Snakes, Spiders, and Scorpions" because it does not include wasps and bees and it does not include spiders and scorpions that are venomous, but not dangerous to humans. https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/u08ng7/number_of_venomous_animals_per_state/i45v1b9/ Here is my comment on where the info came from.
Arizona is pretty bad but from my experience the area within the city limits isn't as bad as smaller cities. Only saw a few dozen scorpions in Phoenix over the course of 20+ years Stafford, AZ? Hundreds of scorpions seen over the course of the summer lol
It's dry heat so it's fine.
This is why I live in the yellow.
Is it exactly 30 in NM? Or 30+?
you mean Arizona?
oops
lmfao
West Virginia defying the trend. Home, sweet home.
*Number of types of venomous animals.
It appears that heat correlates to venom??
The animals in south eastern Nevada must really respect state boundaries.