History was made behind the scenes at the Los Angeles Zoo this summer: six tiny New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake babies have been born, marking the first-ever litters in a landmark international effort to save one of the rarest snakes in the United States.
The announcement, shared by the Zoo on September 1, 2026, revealed that a litter of five neonates was born on August 18, followed by a single newborn on August 28. These six babies represent the first successful litters of Project Obscurus, a collaborative recovery program for the species formally established in 2024.
The New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus) is classified as Threatened and is widely considered the nation’s rarest rattlesnake: a shy, small pit viper with an upturned snout that lives only in high-elevation “sky island” habitats in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.
“This incredible breeding success is a testament to our animal care team’s deep expertise in managing delicate montane pit vipers,” said Byron Wusstig, Curator of Ectotherms at the Los Angeles Zoo. “Being the first of the program partners to welcome these litters proves that our collaborative, science-based approach is working well. These two litters represent a tangible lifeline for a species whose numbers have drastically declined in the U.S.”
Project Obscurus is coordinated by The Rattlesnake Conservancy with the Los Angeles Zoo, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and the San Antonio Zoo. This rattlesnake is live-bearing. The six neonates are cared for behind the scenes, and once mature they will become candidates for release into their native habitats, boosting genetic diversity in struggling wild populations.
The Los Angeles Zoo, an AZA-accredited conservation leader, sits on 133 lush acres in Griffith Park. Admission is $27 for adults and $22 for children. Details at www.lazoo.org.
Photo: Tim Vickers, Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
