New Mexico is home to a number of animals that you wouldn’t want to get near, from stinging scorpions and tarantula hawks to the oddly peanut-scented New Mexico spadefoot toad. However, rattlesnakes still get the worst press.The rattlesnake will actually flee from humans if possible, unless it feels trapped or physically threatened. If you do happen upon one, simply back away. A threatened rattler can strike more than two-thirds of its total length away.In New Mexico, there are seven different types of rattlesnakes: the rock rattlesnake, western diamondback, western prairie rattlesnake, Mojave rattlesnake, black-tailed rattlesnake, Massasauga, and ridge-nose rattlesnake. Each of them have distinctive markings and live in different areas, but you can commonly recognize them by their triangular head, and a pit on either side of their heads. While you might think the rattle would be the simplest way to identify them, non-rattlers will often attempt to mimic the sound by shaking their tail on dry leaves or grass. Also, the rattle may not make noise if it’s absorbed too much water. Certain types of snakes will also attempt to flatten their heads to mimic the triangular shape.

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Is it just our imagination, or are New Mexico’s state animals particularly proud of their designation? (Answer: it’s probably just our imagination). Still, they all do their part to reflect the wide range of wildlife in the state.Animal: Black Bear — The black bear, while the smallest of all North American species, is by no means less majestic. Plus, “smallest” still means they can reach weights of 880 pounds in the wild, and 1,000 pounds in captivity. Most of their food comes from trees and bushes, although they also enjoy insects, salmon, and deer and elk.Bird: Roadrunner The Greater Roadrunner is the species found in the United Statesthe Lesser Roadrunner inhabits Central and South America. They’ve gained the nickname “snake killer” for their habit of killing rattlesnakes, along with scorpions, centipedes, and millipedes. Braver roadrunners will even take down small mammals by beating them in the back of the neck with their beak.

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You might be surprised to learn about New Mexico’s mountain ranges, given its reputation as an arid desert. The Sangre de Cristo mountain range is actually the southernmost range of the Rocky Mountains, and runs through both New Mexico and Colorado. The New Mexico part of the range contains the 13,161 ft Wheeler Peak, previously named Taos Peak for the nearby town.Snowy peaks aren’t the only mountains to be found in the state, either. New Mexico also has several volcanoes, including the shield volcanoes Mount Taylor and Sierra Grande, and the cinder cone Capulin Mountain. The Guadalupe mountain range, which runs through both New Mexico and Texas, has one of the most interesting backstoriesit’s the remains of a limestone reef from a dried-up sea.

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Hunting fans in New Mexico have the opportunity to track down some truly majestic game animals. In addition to elk and deer, there are antelope, turkey, bears, and oryx, which are only found in America in the states of New Mexico and Texas. The New Mexico Game & Fish site is the starting point for all prospective hunters, and includes license and permit applications, records, population information, and more.Hunting in New Mexico is done via a draw process, where hunters apply based on their location, type of sporting arm, dates, species, and more. Applications must be done early in the year: February 3 was the cutoff this year for bear, population reduction, oryx, and turkey hunts, and April 7 marked the deadline for deer, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, ibex and javelina hunts. Javelinas are pig-like mammals which originated in the American Southwest and below.

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New Mexico has one of the largest state bird lists of any U.S. state. There are so many birds, in fact, that the state has named several Important Bird Areas, where multiple species of birds breed or migrate. These sites are voluntarily protected during land-planning, and are also used to educate the public about conservation and other bird species. Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is one such site, made up of around 2,000 acres of wetlands and uplands. You’re likely to run across waterfowl like Wilson’s Phalaropes and Northern Pintails, along with Black-necked Stilts, Least Terns, and Snowy Plovers. A list of the top ten key New Mexico IBAs for 2009 and 2010 can be found here: http://nm.audubon.org/Protect_Restore_Species.html10IBAs.The state bird of Mexico is the Greater Roadrunner, which looks little like its Looney Tunes counterpart (apart from the crest on its head). It is nowhere near the size of a wolf, reaching little more than 2′. The roadrunner is a powerful predator in its own right, though–its prey includes snakes, lizards, scorpions, and mice.

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