Carlotta Rusox: The Life of a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Carlotta Rusox is the life story of a Western Diamondback rattlesnake told across the full arc of a desert existence, from birth in a late summer brood to the final quiet of winter brumation. Set in the Sonoran Desert, the narrative follows one animal through the realities that shape a rattlesnake's life: heat, scent, vibration, hunger, predators, drought, and the narrow margins that separate survival from death.

Rather than treating the snake as a symbol or a villain, the book attempts some...