Can you spot the diamondback rattlesnake hiding in this Arizona photo? It’s not easy

A rattlesnake hiding in an Arizona flowerbed is proving just how adept the reptiles are at blending into their surroundings.

Rattlesnake Solutions, a snake catching service, shared a photo of the coiled snake Sept. 10 on Facebook and challenged viewers to find it.

“Do you see why we were called to this north Phoenix backyard?” the company asked.

“This western diamondback rattlesnake was discovered by the homeowner’s dog, but thankfully they were outside and noticed it before the dog went for this toy.”

Most people weren’t able to find the snake, while a few imagined several rattlesnakes in the photo.

“I would have gotten bit cause I don’t see it,” Kenneth Jones wrote.

“Truly masters of camouflage,” Caleb Piper posted.

Turns out it was almost dead center, just to the left of the dog’s toy, Rattlesnake Solutions revealed. It’s likely the dog would have been bitten had the owner not seen it first.

“Rattlesnake bites to dogs most often occur when they are let out in the early morning or just before bed to go to the bathroom,” the company wrote.

“(It happens) when the dog finds a rattlesnake and then goes in to investigate or attack it. Something as simple as accompanying your dog outside, along with rattlesnake aversion training, can make a rattlesnake bite much less likely.”

A professional snake catcher with Rattlesnake Solutions removed the snake and released it in a wilderness area.

Western diamondbacks are native to Arizona, where some grow as big as 7 feet, according to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. They are known to live as long as 20 years, the museum says.

This story was originally published September 11, 2023 at 10:13 AM.