This fat boy was about 4 feet long and about 3 inches in diameter at his belly. He was about to join Paulette with her morning hot beverage.

When I approached him he was defensive, not aggressive, even after I had to drag him away from the Palo Verde three or four times to get a good angle on him.

The western diamondback rattlesnake or Texas diamond-back is a venomous rattlesnake species found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is likely responsible for the majority of snakebite fatalities in northern Mexico and the greatest number of snakebites in the U.S. No subspecies are currently recognized.